“Our Mission Doesn’t Stop Just Because We Don’t Have a Building”: Librarians’ and Museum Educators’ Discursive Construction of Their Shifting Roles during the Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in multiple shifts in the roles of youth services librarians and museum educators. Although changes in job duties, processes, and day-to-day practices were inevitable, this article suggests that these professionals viewed their service as continuous with prepandemic roles. Based on interviews with 20 professionals, the article analyzes two constructs that emerged as professionals described their pandemic roles: guiding principles and collaboration. Not only did these discursive constructs provide a sense of continuity, they also served to advocate for the role of libraries and museums. These findings indicate the importance of reflecting and drawing on guiding principles and collaborations to make decisions about services during times of crisis.