Pausing in the middle of the storm: Assessing functionality of the library Reserve collection for the post-pandemic future

Abstract

Historically, the library Reserve collections provide access to required readings so students could read these materials in one place for a limited time. This system guarantees the availability of required readings whenever the library is open and contributes to the concept of accessibility, affordability, and equality of higher education. But what happens if the library space becomes inaccessible? What alternatives can be offered when even e-versions of required readings are non-existent? One of the major concerns for the imminent remote operability of the Lloyd G.Sealy library during COVID-19 lockdown was Reserves. When the John Jay College campus was shut down, the virtual 24/7 library operation became a reality. The reference services continued to function via email and chat and the questions about access to the physical Reserve collection and demand for those resources to be available in e-format began to form an avalanche. The author surveyed the teaching faculty about the use of the library’s Reserve collections during the remote teaching mode and analyzed data to assess the functionality of the Reserves in order to help the library make preparations for the Fall 2021 semester as well as envision the post-pandemic future for the Reserve collections.