This research seeks to find the new trends in virtual reference and online learning by looking at the impact of COVID-19 on academic libraries, and by identifying gaps in professional development for academic librarians, particularly in reference and instruction. Responses from the surveyed academic librarians indicate that many services…

The article addresses how a traditional Public commuter college library in the Bronx began making strides to automate student ID barcodes so online library access was granted without in person registrations. How does a barcode number get generated for an individual student and what offices need to be included in automating a library account? The…

ACRL's "Standards for Distance and Online Learning Library Services" sets seven professional standards and associated benchmarks for academic and research libraries. These standards address all academic and research libraries, but institutions with different sizes, funding models, and user demographics necessarily cannot apply the…

Summer 2020 witnessed a large-scale temporary release of content from the publishing community to support UK universities as they moved to online-only delivery, followed by a scramble by those institutions to maintain access to resources. This paper reflects on the experiences of De Montfort University and Imperial College libraries during this…

Librarians play a pivotal role in bridging gaps and fostering learning across diverse global networks of campuses and learners. At Northeastern University's library, the Global Campus and Online Learning Unit (Online Learning, for short) supports the 16 (and growing) global campuses. The Online Learning unit has crafted an intermediary liaison…

In November 2019, the Leonard Lief Library implemented Ivy.ai, a proprietary chatbot on its website. This implementation was the first academic library installation of a vendor-supplied chatbot to be discussed in the professional literature. This chatbot functioned as a new tool that assisted users seeking information from the library website.…

The South African Higher Education Institution (HEI) sector had to move to 'emergency' online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, and they embraced a humanistic approach underpinned by the need to complete the academic year in 2020 and support all students. Because this emergency online learning accelerated the digital shift, evidence of…

The study investigated the willingness of students to remotely tune into podcast programmes aired by libraries and the associated challenges. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. The sample included 245 Adeleke University undergraduates. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings indicated that most patrons…

At the beginning of the Spring 2020 semester, academic institutions in the United States shifted rapidly to virtual instruction amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This shift forced the libraries associated with these institutions to create innovative ways to reach faculty, staff, and students in an online mode. At the University of Memphis, librarians…

This qualitative study explores how online learning is defined at academic libraries in the U.S. and examines the current roles and challenges of online learning librarians. Findings from in-depth interviews reveal that approaches to online learning in academic libraries vary in terms of audience and instructional strategies, and that online…

Background: The rapid globalization along with the growing trend of openness and sharing approach enabled widespread of digital technologies all over the world. However, we can still find differences between countries in technology use and perceptions of usefulness for learning. Understanding students' use of educational technology and their…

Research on library impact on online-only graduate student success has been limited. This paper will present a structure to evaluate the effect early program instruction and contact with library professionals and library resources has on success metrics for graduate students in online-only graduate programs at a regionally accredited nonprofit…

Aim/Purpose: The emergence of massive open online courses (MOOCs) has fostered the creation of co-located learning communities; however, there is limited research on the types of interactions unfolding in these spaces. Background: This study explores Peer 2 Peer University's Learning Circles, a project that allows individuals to take MOOCs…

The COVID-19 pandemic peeled back long-held assumptions about what is wanted, needed, and possible within academia. Many academic libraries had failed to fully imagine the potential uses of online and, in short, missed many opportunities to engage and support users. From this oversight have sprung opportunities to better understand and respond to…

Students are integral to all universities, and online students have long been a growing and important population within higher education. Understanding the shifts of demographics and needs of online students through a global pandemic is crucial for university administrators, instructors, and librarians. For this analysis, a librarian at a…