Living in a New Normal: How One Library and its Librarians Live in a Historical Moment, and how Those That Came Before Them Coped with Crisis

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Libraries have encountered major crises in the past that impacted either their patrons critically, or the entire population of the countries they work in. These crises come in many forms, whether in the form of natural disasters, health crises such as epidemics or pandemics, or political events such as wars. The COVID-19 pandemic, which reached the United States in early 2020, has impacted every facet of everyday life, and libraries are included. Drawing from the past and present, this pandemic can be placed in the context of how libraries experience a crisis. A case study was performed using the Wake County North Regional Library to study the response of librarians at one specific library to tell a story about being a librarian in this historic moment, with the historical data being used to frame the interviews.

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