Public libraries’ responses to a global pandemic: Bangladesh perspectives

Abstract

The whole world is experiencing a new reality – the global outbreak of COVID-19, which has forced every institution into lockdown. This study aims to explore the responses of the government public libraries of Bangladesh. An online questionnaire was used to gather primary data from all of the 71 public libraries, which was followed by semi-structured interviews with eight librarians. The analysis suggests that more than 50% of the libraries had a low level of preparedness to face any crisis, and none of the libraries were fully prepared to manage this pandemic. All of the libraries were open for administrative functions without physical access to users. The study found that 52% of the libraries created public awareness through social media, while 46% supported local government organizations and 40% provided counselling services. Considering the existing challenges, the study recommends some measures for the public libraries of Bangladesh to cope with this situation.