Abstract
Pandemics are nothing new to libraries. Our collections contain many works on epidemics and pestilence through the centuries. The Covid-19 pandemic forced the National Library of Scotland to deal with a public health crisis that went beyond the experience and policies of the institution. This account describes the measures taken to close the Library rapidly and to set up a staff of over 300 to homeworking. It is then explained how the Library continued working under lockdown and provided a digital service to the public. In the final section, the Library’s approach to reoccupying the buildings and resuming public services is discussed, emphasising the complex administrative and human issues involved. Finally, a short assessment of the ‘new normal’ for the National Library is posited.
Highlights
Until the start of 2020, pandemics were events that librarians assisted readers with finding resources about in the collections
One of the nation’s greatest manuscript survivals is that produced by George Bannatyne (1545–1608) during an outbreak of plague in 1568, into which he copied many vernacular poems, which would otherwise have been lost.[2]
He finished his manuscript with a personal poem, ‘Heir endis this buik writtin in tyme of pest / Quhen we fra labor was compeld to rest’
Summary
Until the start of 2020, pandemics were events that librarians assisted readers with finding resources about in the collections. On Wednesday, 18 March, those instructed to make preparations to leave the Library included staff with school-age children (in anticipation of the closure of schools at the end of the week). These discussions had to be concluded at the latest by Friday, 20 March. The Library’s Mass Digitisation Team launched an OCR correction campaign using the Wikisource platform and were joined by over 60 staff members.[11] This work enhanced the usability of our online Scottish collections.[12] The general trend for usage of online services during lockdown was upward. The daily updates from governments about infection rates, deaths and the dangers of leaving home must surely have contributed to the swings in morale from one week to another
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