Proposals - Library 2.021 Reinventing Libraries Covid

Your Name and Title: Megan McNaughton, Tech Access Coordinator

Library, School, or Organization Name: Kansas City Public Library

Co-Presenter Name(s):
Melissa Canan, TechCentral Assistant Manager, Cleveland Public Library
Angela Cortes, Adult Services Librarian, San Antonio Public Library

Area of the World from Which You Will Present: USA (Kansas City, Missouri; Cleveland, Ohio; San Antonio, Texas)

Language in Which You Will Present: English

Target Audience(s): Public library staff: administrators, librarians, support staff

Short Session Description (one line): Have you been asked to take on “other duties as assigned” since COVID restrictions were put in place? In this session, we’ll discuss the way our roles have been modified, and how the term “librarian” encompasses so much more now than it did a year ago.

Full Session Description (as long as you would like): Close your eyes and imagine a librarian or library staffer. What did you picture? Someone holding a pile of books, directing you with a smile to the correct section of the library? You may not have pictured someone breaking up an argument between two upset patrons, delivering hotspots and laptops to a partner location for a digital literacy course, or explaining to patrons exactly how to join a Zoom meeting – but many staffers across the country have taken on those last responsibilities since COVID began. In this session, we’ll discuss the extra work we shouldered to support our teams and communities – and we’d like to hear from you! We’re curious to know how COVID has affected your libraries and operations, so bring your experiences to the session to debrief with others and maybe learn something new about how to support your patrons during COVID. Feel free to drop comments and questions in the comment section below to kick-start the conversation!

Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session: https://kclibrary.org/; https://cpl.org/; https://www.mysapl.org/