Texas A & M University - COVID-19 Impact Survey

2020 and Beyond with Texas A & M University

We asked a few of our library customers questions about the impact pandemic closures had on their operations and collections processes and here is what Dawn of Texas A & M University had to say.

"We limited staff exposure, expanded hours and so far..."

Submitted by: Texas A & M University, TX on 2/19/2021

How did COVID-19 impact your library/libraries in 2020?

During the second week of March, the A&M System tasked employees with prepping toward a possible work from home situation. The library immediately started work on this with Lisa spending a great deal of time locating laptops for those staff who already didn't have one issued to them. Then she had to ensure that the proper programs and utilities were loaded and enabled. Those without internet were provided with a hotspot device. In late March, the library closed with all but two employees working from home. The two employees emptied the book drops, collected the mail, and worked with students and faculty for material pickup requests.

How did you adjust and what decisions did you make regarding your serials collection?

Since we already had been using a reference chat service, switching to totally virtual reference was simple. All print books that were being used as current textbooks were purchased as ebooks when available (few were) and we promoted Red Shelf which offered free ebook textbooks through the end of May. Many faculty who had been using DVDs in their in-person classes contacted the library about streaming alternatives. Ordering of print books was paused with only ebooks being purchased. Print newspapers were suspended but we continued to receive print periodicals. Our standing orders of print serials was also suspended.

How are you now designing and/or deploying strategies to reopen? 

In August, we started our return to work process with most library employees back on campus, at least part-time, by the beginning of the fall semester. The library was open 6 hours per day, Monday-Thursday and 4 hours on Friday. We limited staff exposure by having only one staffer on the circulation desk and one staffer at a backup desk. Staff made sweeps through the building every 30 minutes to check for mask and social distance compliance and to count heads. For the spring semester, we've expanded hours: 8 hours Monday - Thursday and 5 hours Friday-Saturday. We were able to do this since we were able to hire 3 part-time employees to man the circulation desk. So far what we've done has worked well. We encounter some grumbling about wearing masks and social distancing but have really only had one person refuse. We've had a few instances of staff who were exposed to someone with COVID which required periods of quarantine. As of yet, no library staff have been infected although some family members have. Our university offers on-campus testing so that is a great benefit. We are hoping to be back to "normal" for the fall semester. Several staff members have expressed interest in being able to work from home in the future. Our Library Dean is agreeable to staff working 1-2 days from home on a weekly basis.

Additional comments or feedback?

On a separate note, our WT rep, Geri, has always been a wonderful help to us. We were unsure of our budget until November and she worked with us about the delay. She is timely in her communications with us and goes out of her way to assist in whatever we need. She is a stellar employee!

Dawn - Texas A & M University