The Impact of COVID-19 on Academic Library Usage: A Case Study of the University of Oklahoma Library
Creators: name: Lee, Young A
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2021
Subjects: COVID-19; Library Usage; Academic Library; University of Oklahoma Library

description: Topic This paper attempts to understand the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on academic library usage by comparing user data collected by the University of Oklahoma (OU) Libraries during the year before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The contribution of this paper is the introduction to most recent user data of library usage at the OU Libraries. Value of your contribution The findings show that the number of users who visited the main library of the University of Oklahoma, Bizzell Memorial Library and used computer labs at Bizzell Memorial Library dropped dramatically during the COVID pandemic. However, the average session length using computer labs increased from 2.7 hours to 4.9 hours during the COVID period, which suggests that libraries need to maintain social distancing by keeping more space between computers, and clean more often to keep computer labs clean for those who use computer labs. Providing real-time user data is crucial for library users during the COVID pandemic to avoid crowded times, so that they can use the library while keeping themselves healthy, that is, protecting themselves from coronavirus. It will also provide important information even after the pandemic since library users can check available computers and go directly to the computer lab, which makes their library experiences more convenient. In addition, user data allows library administrators to optimize operational efficiency through workforce rearrangement, such as deploying the most workforce during peak times. The number of users who visited Bizzell Memorial Library or used the computer labs at Bizzell Memorial Library showed a significant decrease, while the number of inquiries to AI chatbot, Bizzy on the OU Libraries website, increased from 3,503 to 5,686 by 62.3% during the COVID-19 pandemic. This can be explained by the fact that the closure of the library buildings or limited services increased the need for online reference services, which suggests the need to strengthen the library's online reference services while preparing for the post-COVID era for users who want to use everything online instead of visiting the library in-person. Future studies are needed to analyze the conversations of AI chatbots so that library staff can plan online training that meets the needs of library users and prepare AI chatbot to provide detailed information on the topics users are curious about. <strong>Research outline</strong> <strong>Problem statement</strong><br> The outbreak of the COVID -19 pandemic has dramatically changed the lives of people around the world and has had a significant impact on academic libraries. There are many studies on the impact of COVID-19 on academic libraries. Rafiq, Batool, Ali, and Ullah (2021) investigated seven Pakistan university libraries’ responses in the time of COVID-19 focusing on services, policies, and jobs. Connell, Wallis, and Comeaux (2021) studied changes in use of library resources during timeframes of Covid-19 closures at three different institutions: Louisiana State University, Northeastern Illinois University, and Valparaiso University. However, few studies have used user data to measure the library usage. This study introduced the recent user data that measures the number of library users of the library building, computer labs, and questions asked by AI chatbot on the OU Libraries website. <strong>Research questions</strong> • What is the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on visits of the main library of the University of Oklahoma, Bizzell Memorial Library? • What is the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the use of the computer labs at Bizzell Memorial Library? • What is the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the use of AI chatbot, Bizzy on the OU Libraries website?<br> <strong>Methodology </strong> Among data OU Libraries collected three different kinds of data, Traf-Sys, LabStats, AI Chatbot were used. Traf-Sys collect information on foot traffic of the main library, Bizzelle Memorial Library. Electronic sensors, which were installed at the Gates of the library count people as they walk into the library (Traf-Sys, n.d.).“LabStats is a tool designed to help keep track of how computer labs are being used. Students can find open computers with the help of LabStats. The LabStats Dashboard on the OU Libraries website shows the available computers in real time” (OU Libraries, n.d.). Library AI chatbot, Bizzy was developed to answer questions for library users. It can predict what users are asking for and get the answers they need (Ivy.ai., n.d.). They were all collected from the admin websites. For Traf-Sys and LabStats, the researcher only used data from Bizzell Memorial Library, as the data obtained from other OU libraries is very small compared to that of Bizzell Memorial Library. The data was collected from all members of the OU community including students, faculty, and staff who used facilities.<br> The datasets are divided into two as of March 14, 2020, when the library began its lockdown due to COVID-19, which are from March 15, 2019 to March 13, 2020, and from March 14, 2020 to March 13, 2021. March 15, 2019 to March 13, 2020 will be called the pre-COVID period, and March 14, 2020 to March 13, 2021 will be called the COVID period. Since 2020 was a leap year, February 2020 had one more day than February 2021. Therefore, the researcher set the pre-COVID period starting on March 15, 2019 to be 365 days, which is the same days as the COVID period. The researcher will use the comparative analysis to show similarities and differences between the two time periods (Zhou, 2021). <strong>Findings </strong> The findings show that the number of users who visited Bizzell Memorial Library and used computer labs dropped dramatically during the COVID pandemic. However, the average length using computer labs increased from 2.7 hours to 4.9 hours during the COVID period, and the number of inquiries to AI chatbot increased from 3,503 to 5,686 by 62.3% during the COVID-19 pandemic. <br> <br> <strong>Research limitations</strong> Traf-Sys counting system cannot measure exact number of users. For example, if a user goes out and comes back again it counts as two people, and it cannot distinguish staff from library users. In addition, the quality of Traf-Sys data1111 should be verified as it did not work from November 9, 2020 to December 21, 2020. Further subdividing the steps according to the OU academic calendar and detailed analysis over time period will help better understand the library usage. In additions, future studies are needed to analyze the conversations of AI chatbots so that library staff can plan online training that meets the needs of library users and prepare AI chatbot to provide detailed information on the topics users are curious about. <strong>Implications</strong><br> The average session length using computer labs increased from 2.7 hours to 4.9 hours during the COVID period, which suggests that libraries need to maintain social distancing by keeping more space between computers, and clean more often to keep computer labs clean for those who use computer labs. Providing real-time user data such as Traf-Sys and Labstats is crucial for library users during the COVID pandemic to avoid crowded times, so that they can use the library while keeping themselves healthy. It will also provide important information even after the pandemic since library users can check available computers and go directly to the computer lab, which makes their library experiences more convenient. In addition, user data allows library administrators to optimize operational efficiency through workforce rearrangement. The number of inquiries to AI chatbot, Bizzy on the OU Libraries website, increased from 3,503 to 5,686 by 62.3% during the COVID-19 pandemic. This can be explained by the fact that the closure of the library buildings or limited services increased the need for online reference services, which suggests the need to strengthen the library's online reference services while preparing for the post-COVID era for users who want to use everything online instead of visiting the library in-person. References<br> Connell, R., Wallis, L., &amp; Comeaux, D. (2021). The impact of Covid-19 on the use of academic library resources. Information Technology &amp; Libraries, 1–35. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/libraries_pubs/98<br> <br> Ivy.ai. (n.d.). Chatbots features. Retrieved April 24, 2021, from https://ivy.ai/features/chatbot OU Libraries. (n.d.). Featured project: LabStats. Retrieved May 20, 2021, from https://libraries.ou.edu/content/featured-project-labstats Rafiq, M., Batool, S. H., Ali, A. F., &amp; Ullah, M. (2021). University libraries response to Covid-19 pandemic: A developing country perspective. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 47(1), 102280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102280 <br> <br> Traf-Sys. (n.d.). People counters. Retrieved May 20, 2021, from https://www.trafsys.com/people-counting/ Zhou, J. (2021). The role of libraries in distance learning during Covid-19. Information Development, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/02666669211001502
description: I am a PhD student and my advisor is Dr. Susan Burke.