IN DEPTH
The Covid Pivot – what to expect as the devolved nations emerge from lockdown
With each country in the UK moving at different paces as they emerge from lockdown, we look at Covid-19 responses from library and information services in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
AMY Staniforth, CILIP Cymru Wales Relationship Manager, rounds up how Welsh library and information services have evolved in the wake of Covid-19.
CILIP Cymru Wales – Amy Staniforth, CILIP Cymru Wales Relationship Manager
Librarians and information professionals from all sectors across Wales have been grappling with working from home, keeping some services (in hospitals, for example) physically open, being redeployed across organisations and of course, delivering unprecedented electronic access to resources during the Covid-19 epidemic. Now, we are also starting to plan for and implement hybrid services such as click and collect, as well as think about the longer term future. In Higher Education, click and collect, as well as equipment and IT support being provided for staff, undergraguates and post-graduates on campus. Most Further Education colleges are currently closed or open only for vocational assessments or to support vulnerable learners – which is where libraries are stepping in. Colleges are looking to reopen libraries for the start of the new academic year.
All local authority library services have continued to offer resources throughout the crisis, such as e-books and e-magazines through the Digital Library in co-operation with The National Library of Wales. Welsh Government provided £250,000 towards digital library resources, which enabled public libraries to provide additional resources during the crisis and has led to libraries seeing a dramatic increase in the number of individuals accessing digital resources. Since libraries physically closed as a result of lockdown, statistics provided by Bolinda, one of our main providers of e-resources, show a 110 per cent increase in total loans in Wales compared to the same period in 2019. Although on-site services have not yet resumed The National Library of Wales has continued to see a sustained increase in the use of its dig- ital collections and has focused on areas such as the provision of digital learning resources and digital events. Planning for the resumption of on-site services continues and The National Library of Wales has contributed to the development of sector specific guidance prepared by Welsh Government.
A majority of NHS Wales libraries remained opened and staffed during the past few months. More staff have returned to work now measures have been put in place including screens, distancing of com- puter and study spaces, hand sanisitiser and wipes and quarantining of items, with managers sharing ideas with colleagues (
https://bit.ly/2ZSynhe).
14 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL June-July 2020
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