Libraries Reaction of Romania to the Crisis Caused by COVID 19

Abstract

Nowadays, given the global crisis generated by the new coronavirus COVID-19 that led to the installation of a global pandemic, the role of libraries, regardless of their type (public, academic, university, specialized etc.), is very important, given that they represent the main sources of trust in the distribution of verified information. The way they responded to the challenge was different from case to case. Public libraries were the first to realize that they need to find solutions to stay in touch with their users, using the new media technologies, bringing to them credible and up-to-date information on topics of interest to each citizen or for each institution. Knowing the aspects of information literacy (especially digital literacy) have proved indispensable to be able to relate in this virtual form. In this paper we want to do a research on the mechanisms identified by each type of library to come in real support of users, given that fake news has invaded social media and it has become increasingly difficult for ordinary people to assess the correctness and the veracity of the information. The analysis was performed on all 41 county libraries plus the Metropolitan Library of Bucharest, National Library of Romania, Library of the Romanian Academy, as well as on a number of university and specialized libraries, the aim being to observe their reaction capacity and adaptability in times of crisis.