Going online and staying online: Becoming an online librarian during the pandemic

Abstract

Ah-ah-ah-ah, staying online, staying online,

Ah-ah-ah-ah, staying online, staying online,

Ah-ah-ah-ah, staying online –ine-ine-ine,

I’m staying online!

Sing along with the famous tune by the Bee Gees. White suit and disco ball are not required.

I recently became an online reference and instruction librarian. During the pandemic, my institution made the difficult decision to have fewer physical locations and encouraged students to stay online. I was given the opportunity to continue online full-time as a remote worker. I live in Virginia while the main campus is in Florida. We also have a librarian in Georgia, as part of our geographically dispersed team, who works with some of the education centers. I absolutely love being an online librarian. I provide large group and individual instruction through Zoom, work within the learning management system as an embedded librarian, and answer questions by phone, text, email, and the library chat virtual reference desk. But getting here was quite the journey.