Onboarding and Training a New Electronic Resources Librarian During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Reflection

Abstract Though many library practices and services were put on hold at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, hiring still took place in some academic libraries. This column details the process of remote onboarding in an academic library that was accustomed to in-person hiring and training, and it provides perspective from both the supervisor and the newly-hired electronic resources librarian in the UNC Greensboro University Libraries Technical Services Department. Authors seek to illustrate the process of developing a structured virtual onboarding program, as well as uncover the social challenges posed by physical distancing in a new working environment, and strive to answer the question, how does one become a part of a department when the department itself cannot meet in person?