By Loida Garcia-Febo, CPDWL Advisor, International Library Consultant
The COVID-19 Pandemic ushered in new ways of providing library services. Libraries around the world continue to innovate to serve communities deeply impacted by the pandemic. On this blog post, I am sharing information about a new e-book featuring eleven of these new services hoping it is useful to many libraries worldwide. The e-book was developed by the Northeast Chapter of REFORMA, The National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking.
The REFORMA Northeast Chapter Leadership Institute announced the publication of the eBook “Beyond Virtual and Hybrid Programs: How Libraries Recreated a Community During the COVID-19 Pandemic” edited by Adriana Blancarte-Hayward, Manuel Figueroa and Fred Gitner, with original cover art designed by Ariana Rivera Goldberg. The RNE Leadership Institute is Chaired by Mary Marques.
“Librarians around the world were challenged during the hard months of the pandemic on how to provide library services and resources to patrons of all ages. We had to experiment, create, and adapt! We navigated from in-person and face-to-face meetings to the anonymity of the virtual world. We put in practice our creativity and delivered services to our community.”
“Beyond Virtual and Hybrid Programs” includes eleven programs created during the global health emergency of the pandemic:
- Smoking Ballerinas and Red-Hot Bolsheviks: Making the Artwork of Frances Lichten
- Accessible Prof Talks
- YA Comics Chat
- The Class
- Virtual Tech Tuesdays
- Santa Rosa Zine Fest
- Queens Memory COVID-19 Project
- Write Now! A Writer’s Collective
- Library and Student Support Services Virtual Summer Bridge Program
- We Need to Talk: Conversations About Racism for a More Resilient Las Vegas
- Senior Art During the Pandemic by Evelyn Ray
This project was developed by the REFORMA Northeast Chapter Leadership Institute with support from the REFORMA National Grant 2022.
To download the free PDF copy of this eBook and to access the webinar recording session of the eBook launch presentation, visit https://tinyurl.com/BeyondVirtualandHybridPrograms.
Thank you on behalf of the REFORMA Northeast Chapter Leadership Institute Team!
REFORMA Northeast Chapter represents the following states: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. The chapter advocates for the improvement of library and information services for Spanish speakers and people of Hispanic/Latino origin in the six-state area at the local, regional, and national levels.
REFORMA Established in 1971 as an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA), REFORMA has actively sought to promote the development of library collections to include Spanish language and Latino oriented materials; the recruitment of more bilingual and bicultural library professionals and support staff; the development of library services and programs that meet the needs of the Latino community; the establishment of a national information and support network among individuals who share our goals; the education of the U.S. Latino population in regards to the availability and types of library services; and lobbying efforts to preserve existing library resources centers serving the interest of Latinos.