Online library use has spiked since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, and library officials say that trend should continue even after the outbreak ends.
However, administrators with the Jackson-Hinds and Madison County library systems say an increase in online use likely will have little impact in the long run on patrons’ desires to check out physical books, read periodicals and use library computers once branches reopen.
Since closing its physical locations in March, the Madison County Library System has seen a roughly 35 percent increase in use of its online databases, such as Hoopla, which provides readers access to hundreds of thousands of e-books.
“We’re proud of that,” said Executive Director Tonja Johnson.
Farther south, the Jackson-Hinds Library System (JHLS) has seen use of its online e-book offerings increase tenfold, going from 250 prior to the outbreak to more than 2,500 users now.
Even with the increases, JHLS Executive Director Patty Furr doesn’t expect the use of in-person library services to drop once the outbreak is over.
She points to the fact that even after e-books were introduced years ago, approximately 212,000 physical books a year were still being checked out systemwide.
Books aside, library officials say some operations likely will change as a result of the outbreak.
Johnson said most of the changes in Madison County would be “procedural, such as encouraging good hand-washing” among patrons and employees.
In Hinds County, Furr said officials will be making numerous changes to ensure customers remain safe.
“We’ll be going through every building, moving chairs and rearranging furniture to make sure we can practice social distancing,” she said.
On top of that, Jackson-Hinds is planning to install new acrylic panels at checkout areas, to better protect patrons and employees.
The panels would be similar to the clear ones that have been put up at checkout lines in grocery and big box stores since the start of the pandemic.
Those measures likely will be important in coaxing individuals back into the library.
Furr said people have told her they’re eager to get back to the library.
However, national leaders are worried the virus will keep people away, and give them second thoughts about checking out books and using other in-person library services.
In an April 17 column in Publishers’ Weekly, Sari Feldman, former president of the American Library Association, writes that COVID “will change some people’s perspective on what can be and should be shared.”
She went on to state that she feared “many people will begin to overthink materials handling and the circulation of physical library collections, including books.”
Part of the problem stems from whether books can spread the disease. Additionally, library leaders across the country aren’t exactly sure how to sanitize the paper materials.
The virus can live on cardboard for 24 hours and live on paper for up to five days, according to WebMD.
Evan Knight, a preservation specialist at the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners told the American Libraries Magazine that there is no data on how libraries handled previous pandemics, something that today leaves librarians across the country in a lurch.
The magazine wrote that some potential ideas for sanitizing materials, such as using liquid disinfectants or ultraviolet light, could actually damage materials.
Furr said the system was still determining how books should be cleaned, but was confident a solution could be found. “I know we can do it in a way that’s safe.”
The pandemic forced both systems to close in March.
Neither Furr nor Johnson knew when their libraries would reopen to the public.
“The board will make the decision on when the system will reopen,” Furr said.
Right now, Jackson-Hinds is closed at least through May 18. Furr hopes to reopen in time for the summer reading program, which will run from June 15 to July 30. If not, the program will be available online.
The Madison County system will follow the guidance of the governor, Mississippi State Department of Health and the federal government.
“Restrictions will ease when we see fewer cases,” Johnson said.
Meanwhile, system officials are working to make sure patrons can continue to check out books while branches are shuttered.
Both systems have begun offering library card registration online, something Jackson-Hinds did not do previously, and something Madison County offered on only a limited basis.
With Jackson-Hinds, residents can register online to receive a six-digit code and person identification number, which they can use to access e-books from various online databases.
“When we reopen, they can come in and give us their proof of address, and we’ll send them a full-service card,” Furr said.
Prior to the outbreak, Madison County patrons could receive a digital card to access OverDrive, one of its online databases. Now, individuals applying online have access to all the system’s electronic databases.
“Once the library reopens, we will mail the physical card to the address they submitted and they will be able to use it to check out physical items as well,” Johnson said.
Jackson-Hinds and Madison County offer more than 350,000 titles for online checkout, the majority of which are through Hoopla.
The titles are being provided through a pilot program sponsored by the Mississippi Library Commission.
Jackson-Hinds is also offering free children’s and teens’ e-books through TumbleBooks, as well as digital comics and graphic novels through RBdigital. Both databases were introduced recently, but were in the works prior to COVID.
Said Furr, “With kids at home, we wanted to get Tumble Books online as quickly as possible.”
