If you’d asked anyone a year ago to predict what the biggest factor affecting library services in 2020 would be, nobody would have said COVID-19. But if you ask me today what will impact the success of library management systems in the future, regardless of conditions, I’ll give it to you in two words with 100% confidence: innovate together.
Marketing in this new COVID-19 environment is challenging, but it also presents opportunities. This is a time when you can give your team latitude to experiment, build off existing relationships you have with your customers and followers, and be responsive to community needs when they need your library the most.
As libraries have closed their physical spaces and adapted services to remote work, we’ve seen library staff spend more time than ever on professional development and online learning. In a poll conducted during the recent OCLC virtual town hall, 81% of attendees reported that they have engaged in more professional development since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a free resource open to all, WebJunction has long been “the learning place for libraries.” But the increase that we’ve seen in time spent learning on webjunction.org between March and April 2020 has been, put simply, extraordinary.