Reflecting on Pandemics and Technology in Libraries

Abstract

Several areas of technology are considered including sanitation, social distancing, barriers, remote reference, electronic resources, wireless Internet access, curbside pickup, bookmobiles, video conferencing and social media, voice to text, telepresence, and extended realities. The importance of these technologies in the shadow of the current pandemic is considered as well as ways in which libraries can continue to harness those technologies past the pandemic to continue to serve our patrons in new ways and extensions of old ways.