Libraries Respond: COVID-19 Survey May2020 LIBRARIES RESPOND: C O V I D - 1 9 S U R V E Y SURVEY OF RESPONSE & ACTIVITIES RESULTS COLLECTED MAY 12-18, 2020 SURVEY METHOD Conducted by the American Library Association (ALA), with additional support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Colorado State Library's Library Research Service SURVEY Hosted in Survey Monkey DISTRIBUTION Survey link distributed via email, social media, and listservs SAMPLE All library types, with public, academic, and K-12 libraries representing the majority of respondents ANALYTICS Data were cleaned, de-duplicated, and anonymized SURVEY RESULTS The results in this report represent aggregate responses from a convenience survey. RESPONDENTS* 3,850 libraries GEOGRAPHY 50 US states + Washington, DC represented RESPONSE RATE ~30% of US public library systems**; ~20% of US academic libraries; <20% of other library types *Unless otherwise noted, n=3,850 when calculating responses. **Public library system is equivalent to a public library jurisdiction. Fully closed 62% Open for curbside pickup 26% Other limited access policies 11% BUILDING STATUS 99% of respondents reported having limited access policies currently in place. Fully open (no restrictions) 1% n=3,755 RE-OPENING TIMELINE A majority of libraries that are fully closed are uncertain about when they can re-open their building(s). of respondents did not know when their buildings would start to re-open to the public 47% of respondents expect re-opening to begin to occur in June or July 37% of respondents fell into the "other" category, reporting plans to open after July or that opening depends on state/school directives 16% n=2,214 PLANNING FOR IN-PERSON ACCESS Libraries are instituting a combination of approaches for in-person access, including: So cia l d ist an cin g pr ac tic es Cu rb sid e se rv ice s By a pp oin tm en t o nly De liv er y t o pa tro ns 3,000 2,000 1,000 0 Answers with 30% or higher response rate. PROCESSES & PROCEDURES Nearly all respondents will have a combination of protocols in place, including: STAFFING SAFETY & SANITATION 80%: Health and safety protocols for staff 73%: Phased re-opening of operations 30%: New or revised support services that require staffing (e.g., remote work, trauma response) 80%: Sanitizing/quarantining materials 76%: Social distancing requirements for patrons 61%: Deep cleaning of interior spaces EXAMPLES OF PLANS & PROCESSES WERE SHARED,1,500+ which ALA and its partners will work to curate and disseminate widely. PATRON NEEDS Libraries anticipate patrons' most urgent needs in the next six months will be: 60%64% Access to physical materials and/or special collections 60% Public access to computers and the internet Government applications and job search support K-20 LIBRARY TOP NEEDS INCLUDE: Student success (e.g., assignment completion) and faculty/teacher support (e.g., research assistance, online teaching support) We checked out 143 laptops to students needing devices to do work online. This helped some students persist who may not have in this new learning environment. - Hawkeye Community College Library (Iowa) STUDENT & FACULTY NEEDS The top three ways all libraries are addressing student and faculty needs include: CURBSIDE PICKUP VIRTUAL REFERENCE Via email, phone, chat NEW "HOW TO" RESOURCES Books, laptops, school materials For accessing virtual resources ...My library is part of a very small school, but I am the administrator for our school's program that uses and tracks Accelerated Reading, and I was instrumental in facilitating its use for teachers when they expanded their online resources to home use, helping with communications, trouble- shooting for teachers and students, etc. I see this role continuing and expanding this year. – High Mount Elementary School (Illinois) The mother of half a dozen children, ages 4-14, who were all out of school because of coronavirus. The kids were supposed to be reading 20 minutes a day, but after a week of lockdown they were out of books. I helped the mom with our online library, reassured her she could call back any time, and saved her $15 a month on her Audible subscription in the process. - Brigham City Public Library (Utah) STUDENT & FACULTY NEEDS Additional ways libraries are addressing student and faculty needs include: Transitioning summer learning from in-person to virtual and adding new enrichment learning activities Digitizing materials for remote use Providing access to textbooks and other resources Securing and/or distributing devices for students who lack access to laptops/tablets for classwork Purchasing and/or curating additional online research resources, including negotiating licensing contracts Increasing access to open research in support of COVID-19 Working with faculty/teachers to create new open textbooks or other educational materials FOR STUDENTS FOR FACULTY COVID-19 CRISIS RESPONSE Of those respondents who are involved in community crisis response, the majority reported: Developing new partnerships Making or distributing Personal Protective Equipment (e.g., face shields or fabric masks) Addressing hunger relief efforts Providing family-friendly facilities (e.g., for student parents) Relocating staff to other departments and/or helping in call centers (e.g., health, employment, 211) Our community has serious food insecurity issues, and we have been involved in addressing that for the past several years. COVID-19 has made the situation even worse. Ordinarily our (farmers) market has kids' activities, but those are not possible now. We are focusing solely on the food and working hard making sure those who have SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance) benefits are aware of this opportunity. - High Point Public Library (North Carolina) FUTURE NEEDS & CHALLENGES: HEALTH & SAFETY Respondents anticipate ongoing questions about safety protocols and having adequate PPE and cleaning supplies. Open-ended responses: 764 We want our staff to be safe. We want our community's needs met. How we SAFELY get both of those goals met can be tricky. It is really a balancing act. - Spring Valley Public Library (Minnesota) FUTURE NEEDS & CHALLENGES: UNCERTAINTY ABOUT THE FUTURE Open-ended responses: 764 The library's future will be dependent on the status of our course modalities (on campus, online, international), sustained enrollment, and state revenues. - Forsyth Library, Fort Hays State University (Kansas) Respondents reported being uncertain about how and when libraries will be allowed to make buildings accessible again; how people will continue to be affected by the virus and the ability of the library to respond; and how communities will change moving forward. FUTURE NEEDS & CHALLENGES: FUNDING & BUDGET CUTS Open-ended responses: 764 Funding, funding, funding and advocacy for the critical importance of libraries as crucial, essential secondary responders. - Connecticut State Library Respondents shared their concerns around reduced funding for library budgets and anticipated staff loss due to furloughs and layoffs. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ALA Pandemic Preparedness Resources for Libraries: http://www.ala.org/tools/atoz/pandemic-preparedness Institute of Museum and Library Services COVID-19 updates: https://www.imls.gov/coronavirus-covid-19-updates Re-opening Archives, Libraries and Museums project: https://www.webjunction.org/explore-topics/COVID-19- research-project/news.html The American Library Association (ALA) would like to thank all of the libraries that responded to the survey so quickly. The May 2020 "Libraries Respond: COVID-19 Survey" is one of a series of data and research projects underway at ALA to learn and share information about the impacts of COVID-19 on libraries, library staff, and our work serving our communities. Analysis of data from the survey is ongoing and will be shared in coming weeks. We would also like to thank the Library Research Service, an office of the Colorado State Library, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services for their work helping clean and validate the survey data. To learn more about the COVID-19 surveys and view the full sets of questions, please visit: http://www.ala.org/tools/libraries-respond-covid-19-survey. Additional Resources: LIBRARIES RESPOND: C O V I D - 1 9 S U R V E Y http://www.ala.org/tools/atoz/pandemic-preparedness https://www.imls.gov/coronavirus-covid-19-updates https://www.webjunction.org/explore-topics/COVID-19-research-project/news.html http://www.ala.org/tools/libraries-respond-covid-19-survey