“Who says I am coping”: The emotional affect of New Jersey academic librarians during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic introduced a seismic shift to academic libraries. The state of New Jersey, one of the earliest affected regions in the United States, mandated the closure of all higher education institutions in March 2020, followed by a partial reopening of several campuses in Fall 2020. With the mandated closure and subsequent reopening, librarians needed to adjust their workflow during a time of high uncertainty and stress. Conducted in Fall 2020, this study reports on the emotional affect of New Jersey academic librarians working in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study was to provide a snapshot of the experiences and emotions of academic librarians in this region. In addition to gathering data such as their position roles and library policies, written responses were also collected describing their experiences and emotions. All responses to these open-ended questions were categorized and coded according to similar themes. Common trends in the responses, as well as similarities with previous research on emotional labor events and occupational burnout, are discussed. These results have implications for anyone working in an academic library during a pandemic, or even simply working remotely in an academic library.