Making the importance of libraries and librarians visible: An international online library skills initiative in response to COVID

Making the importance of libraries and librarians visible: An international online library skills initiative in response to COVID

• Cheung, Sau Ching Helen Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Ming Hua Theological College
• Carroll, Mary Charles Sturt University
• Hirose Nagao, Yoko RapidsWide Company, Japan

Journal of the Australian Library & Information Association, 72(2), 189-198, 2023

Taylor & Francis

2023

• T Educational Research
  • TD Libraries, Sources of Information, Educational Research Institutes
• F Learning & Teaching
  • FD Application of Communicative Media, IT in Learning & Teaching

Digital Literacy International Collaboration Library Activities User Education

• Hong Kong
• Japan
• Australia

• 1997.7 onwards

• Unknown or Unspecified

The onset of COVID required many libraries to re-imagine how they conducted their services. It also identified needs and gaps in the delivery of these services to the community. In response to changes such as extended lockdowns and the resultant economic difficulties and the wider need for digital literacy skills, Hong Kong SKH Ming Hua Theological College Library (MH College) established an international collaboration to develop and deliver online tours/ talks as a library skills program with librarians, faculty, students, and professionals in Hong Kong, Japan and Australia. The overall aims of this initiative were to provide an online library skills program for education, leisure and to make the value of librarians and libraries visible to stakeholders during the pandemic to ensure the upkeep of library resources, budgeting and staffing. Through partnerships with key stakeholders and the use of a variety of innovative IT tools, real-time online activities were conducted in three languages (English, Chinese and Japanese) to an internationally distributed audience. This paper will outline the background and organisation of the program, its design and discuss the lessons learned and implications for practice of the strategies used in the program. Copyright © 2023 Taylor & Francis.

• English

Journal Articles

• 24750158

• 10.1080/24750158.2023.2203288

https://bibliography.lib.eduhk.hk/bibs/c89d36fb

2024-04-09