Editorial

Abstract

Library value during COVID-19 and beyond: shifting, pivoting, and moving forward In June 2020, Christopher Cox, Dean of Libraries at Clemson University, predicted the significant ways academic libraries will shift in terms of collections, services, spaces, and operations as a result of the pandemic. Instead of returning to normal, librarians will be returning to a “new normal” -- one where in-person classes and service interactions may be impossible or no longer preferred, where collections in physical format may be a barrier to access, and where collaborative study is shunned in favor of social distancing in buildings that can only safely house half the people they used to. The pivot to online learning and remote services provided academic, research, and public libraries with myriad opportunities to demonstrate our value to the academy and our communities.