COVID-19 Pandemic and Academic-Library Directors' Collection Management and Reference Strategies

The problem undertaken in this study was the impact of the COVID-19 on academic-library directors at small, private, liberal-arts institutions in Wisconsin. The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic closures on collection development and reference interviews. The participants were seven academic-library directors who work or worked in a college or university library during the COVID-19 pandemic and have experience with collection development or reference interviews. Participants worked at seven different institutions and were recruited through the WAICU academic-library directors' listserv. The participating campuses were in rural and urban areas. My narrative approach allowed participants to share their experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic closures and Bronfenbrenner's PPCT model served as my theoretical framework to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic closures on academic-library directors. The results revealed the increased reliance on electronic resources and the need to bring people back to the physical library. Collections were difficult to access during the COVID-19 pandemic closures; however, academic-library directors implemented unique solutions to ensure access was maintained. My recommendations are that the continuation of physical and virtual services will be necessary as the pandemic continues. Further study of how the academic-library directors view the library differently is needed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]