This presentation was a follow up live discussion in Zoom hosted by the Koç University Libraries in Istanbul, Turkey. The three best posters in the international category from the virtual poster exhibits titled “Academic and Research Libraries in the Whirlwind of a Pandemic: a Trap or a Chance for Transformation?” were invited to present with attendee's asking questions. This virtual event took place on June 18, 2020.

Abstract

The mission was to determine effective combination of apps to support both the workflows and the social connectedness of a collegial staff forced to pivot to working from home with one week’s notice.

The University of Georgia’s Alexander Campbell King Law Library has a staff of around 25 with a strong culture of face-to-face communication, collegiality and socialization. Our work is often team-driven, and small groups walk to nearby coffee shops nearly daily for informal meetings and camaraderie. When we transitioned rapidly to a work-from-home environment in mid-March, the library’s leadership was concerned not only that every staff member would have the proper technology and equipment to be able to work comfortably and productively from home but were also concerned about losing this sense of community and connectedness. The library’s director and trio of associate directors solicited ideas for communicating both about work projects and about social matters in ways that would most closely mimic our in-library environment. The combination that is working effectively for us is:

  • Trello boards: posting lists, instructions, and documents such as virtual reference schedules and student assistant hiring;
  • Slack workspace: both work and social communications, including multiple channels for subjects such as reference question assistance, digital repository issues, views from our home offices, recommended books, movies, and shared anxieties and methods of coping;
  • Zoom: for meetings, including work-related projects, library PR events, and regularly scheduled, purely social Friday Happy Hours

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