Provision of Library Services during COVID-19 in a Higher Education Institution: A Case Study of Cecil Renaud Library, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Chuene Seanego; Zawedde Nsibirwa

doi:10.25159/2663-659X/18528

Authors

Chuene Seanego University of KwaZulu Natal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2266-3409
Zawedde Nsibirwa University of KwaZulu-Natal https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8527-1560

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/2663-659X/18528

Keywords:

academic library, library service, library staff, e-resources, Cecil Renaud Library, COVID-19

Abstract

This article investigated the service-related challenges experienced by the Cecil Renaud Library (CRL) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which started in early 2020. The article highlights the unique challenges the pandemic created for CRL’s library services. Additionally, it outlines how the library transformed some existing services into digital formats and developed new initiatives to support the university’s transition to online teaching and learning since 2020. The article adopted the “Five Laws of Library Science” proposed by S. R. Ranganathan in 1931 as its theoretical framework. The interpretivist paradigm was used because it addresses knowledge by emphasising the importance of insiders’ viewpoints in understanding social reality. A qualitative research approach was adopted, using a semi-structured interview schedule using Microsoft Teams meetings and telephone calls to collect data. Of the 14 library staff members sampled, only seven participated in the interviews, yielding a response rate of 50%. Content analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings indicated that meeting the students and academic staff face-to-face was a significant challenge for the librarians. Sometimes the librarians could not conduct online training because some students had connectivity and network issues. The article recommends that the library focus on troubleshooting access issueso ensure that staff are equipped to address problems that arise in providing online services, and that staff should create more self-help videos on the use of e-resources for off-campus access.

Author Biography

Zawedde Nsibirwa, University of KwaZulu-Natal

Department of Information Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. Senior Lecturer

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