University library responses to COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh

Abstract

Purpose: The goal of this study is to evaluate how university libraries responded to the COVID-19 outbreak and explore the significant initiatives taken by libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methodology: This research employed a content analysis approach using a descriptive quantitative study to obtain data from websites of 10 renowned public and private university libraries in Bangladesh based on purposive sampling. A checklist with 30 items in 5 categories was prepared to collect data and were organized in tabular form using Microsoft Excel for further analysis.

Findings: Findings reveal that most of the university libraries offer additional online services, such as 75% of library websites provided information about library services during COVID-19, approximately 63% on an initiative for COVID-19, and 68% provided services considering the COVID-19 situation. The study found 84% of university libraries provided links, searches, and retrieval interfaces, and 90% of universities provided library resources during the pandemic. Most of the university libraries have significant digital library services. On the contrary, around 24% of library websites continue to lack certain services to implement basic accessibility standards.

Research limitation: The limitation of the present study lies in relying on the contents available on the websites of a limited number of university libraries at a given point of time.

Practical implications: This article aims to present a roadmap that libraries can use to make an informed decision while adding new services or enhancing existing ones.

Keywords: Content analysis, COVID-19, coronavirus, library website, remote instruction, SARS-COV-2