Evolving library staff skills during a health crisis: A case of Rimuka public library in Zimbabwe

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess the evolving library staff skills during a health crisis. The focus was on skills that library staff could adopt in the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) era in Zimbabwe and worldwide. The aim was to generate insightful knowledge that could be used by information professionals facing health pandemics in order to provide current and relevant library services to their user community. The research employed a qualitative research design using a case study research strategy. Interviews were conducted with six library staff and four administrators who were chosen based on the purposive sampling procedure. Data was analysed thematically and presented textually. The significant findings were that the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic had caught the Library unprepared for providing distant services. The library staff did not possess the requisite skills to offer distant services. The Library lacked resources, including ICT gadgets, which could have been used to provide such services. The main recommendations were for the Library to organise in-house training programmes, workshops and seminars to equip staff with digital literacies. To this end, the Library could upskill its staff and use the general digital competencies framework to focus the training. The Library could appoint a systems librarian to set up and run a digital library. The staff could participate in collaborative activities with other local council libraries and events organised by institutions in the library profession. The current study adds to our knowledge of how staff skills in public libraries in Zimbabwe during health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have changed over time. Numerous studies have been conducted in developed and developing nations evaluating the extent of harm to library services in health environments. Nevertheless, there is little research on how staff skills could be developed and enhanced during health crises in African public libraries, especially in Zimbabwe.