Academic libraries and research in flux: Global conversations in times of COVID-19

Abstract

In March 2020, Alameda County, where the University of California (UC)-Berkeley is located, issued a shelter in place order as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The UC-Berkeley Library was one of the first libraries in the United States to deal effectively with the new normal that was mandated by local, state, and federal public health officials, shifting to the virtual provision of its services such as instruction, research consultation, and accelerated e-resource acquisition. Library administration encouraged staff to think creatively, to not only provide our services to faculty, users, and students, but also to bridge the physical gap through virtual media to foster collaboration among the community of international librarians.