iSchool Capstone

Public Library Programming in the Pandemic: Returning to Normal or Shaping a New Normal?

Project tags:

community engagement & outreach

digital youth & youth services

information behavior & user research

Project poster

The pandemic affected almost every part of our lives, especially social services that were delivered in person. We conducted a longitudinal research study interviewing 20 Washington State public librarians during the pandemic and tracked how their programming shifted throughout the year. We found three main themes that surfaced in our data – job satisfaction, changes to programming, and rethinking the profession once the world is "back to normal." We plan to ultimately disseminate our findings in a published paper to help librarians learn successful programming options to meet the needs of their communities.

Project participants:

Anna Gibson

MLIS

Brandyn Boyd

MLIS