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Continuing the Conversation
Reflecting on Our Pandemic Experiences
Megan E. Welsh, Interdisciplinary Arts and Humanities Librarian,  
University of Colorado Boulder
Ian Burke, Evaluation Consultant, Burke Research Consulting
Kimmetha Herndon, Dean of the University Library, Samford University
Timothy Lincoln, Director of the Mary B. and Robert J. Wright Learning  
and Information Center, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary

ABSTRACT Grounded in past conversations sponsored by the Atla Profes-
sional Development Committee and research focusing on how theological 
library staff, deans, and directors coped with the pandemic, the facilitators 
guided participants in sharing their experiences of the past two years. Con-
versation with both virtual and in-person conference attendees emphasized 
sharing successes and changes in planning, policy, services, and culture, 
and ended with a discussion about what attendees are currently working 
on and what they are hopeful for. At the end of the session, virtual and in-
person attendees listened to a brief recap of each setting’s discussions and 
were invited to consider contributing to an upcoming edited volume to be 
published by Atla Open Press focusing on the impact of the pandemic on 
theological libraries.

INTRODUCTION

This conversation group session allowed conference attendees, both 
in-person and virtual, an opportunity to revisit their experiences 
of the pandemic within a supportive community where they could 
gather ideas and identify similarities and differences across settings. 
Survey and interview research presented at the beginning of the ses-
sion helped to orient attendees to the topics of discussion. The ma-
jority of the session focused on conversations between participants.



CONvERSATION GROuPS  121

SUMMARY OF RESEARCH

In 2020, Megan E. Welsh, Ian Burke, and James Estes (2021) conduct-
ed a research study wondering:

1. How has the pandemic affected theological libraries as in-
stitutions?

2. How has the pandemic affected individuals who work at 
theological libraries?

Findings presented during this conversation group were drawn 
from the 58 deans and directors of theological libraries who com-
pleted an initial survey in spring 2020, and the nine deans and direc-
tors whom we interviewed in fall 2020.

We presented three themes that emerged from this study: the pro-
cess of addressing pandemic risks through mitigation practices, reac-
tions to changes in library workplaces brought on by the pandemic, 
and issues related to communicating library value (particularly with 
regard to communication needs emerging from the changes mentioned 
above). Additionally, we shared several excerpts from interviews re-
lated to these themes so that attendees could better understand the 
relationship between the themes and the primary interview data.

Presenting interview excerpts also emphasized that the collected 
interviews were rich data that nevertheless only told a small portion 
of the story of how librarians coped with the pandemic. We encour-
aged participants to consider areas of further research, such as case 
studies and narrative accounts, and analyzing emergent networks 
and communities that developed as a result of the pandemic. Con-
cluding the session, we invited participants to consider submitting 
chapter proposals for an upcoming edited book on the impact of the 
pandemic on theological libraries to be published by Atla Open Press.

CONVERSATION IN SMALL GROUPS

After a brief overview of research findings, conference attendees 
were divided into two groups: virtual attendees and those who at-
tended the conference in-person.

We posed six questions to participants and, as facilitators, com-
mitted to asking both sets of attendees the last question as the con-
versation group came to a close, regardless of whether all previous 
questions had been addressed. These questions were:



122  ATLA 2022 PROCEEDINGS

1. What struck you about the research findings? Do these 
align with your experiences? Do they resonate with you?

2. What are the top two things you’ve learned from the pan-
demic?

3. How have you worked to improve your library culture? 
What are strategies you’ve used to build relationships?

4. How has hybrid or online learning pushed us to improve 
our teaching practices or services? What hybrid or online 
learning practices have been successful for you?

5. How has the pandemic magnified or focused priorities, new 
programs, and things that need to happen?

6. What are you working towards now?

Question 1:  
“What struck you about the research findings? Do these align with your 
experiences? Do they resonate with you?”
Although in-person attendees did not discuss the research findings, 
virtual attendees reported being struck by the theme of communi-
cating the value of the library when library access was limited to 
the virtual realm. These attendees also discussed the importance of 
hearing from librarians who completed the survey who were not 
deans and directors as their experiences may have been very dif-
ferent from the administrative perspective.

Question 2:  
“What are the top two things you’ve learned from the pandemic?”
In-person attendees reported learning that educating disciplinary 
faculty became even more important during the pandemic. They in-
corporated themselves into the faculty retreat and educated these 
patrons about reserves and interlibrary loan requests. In some cases, 
boundary-setting became necessary, including setting a deadline 
by which title requests for course reserves needed to be submitted. 
They also learned that, although vendors were initially generous 
with materials, including offering free trials, the cost of e-resources 
quickly increased and these initially free resources functioned as a 
teaser for purchases that could not be sustained.

Virtual attendees reported learning that the impact of the pan-
demic was felt more by front line employees and staff rather than fac-
ulty or administrators within some libraries and institutions, thereby 



CONvERSATION GROuPS  123

demonstrating an inequitable workplace environment, which has 
implications on morale and retention. The pandemic also offered a 
lens through which library staff could view the institutional, cultur-
al, and financial situation of their institutions as the response to the 
pandemic emphasized certain priorities over others. These attendees 
also reported learning that the pandemic was a “great time to build a 
building.” Closures and less foot traffic meant that renovations could 
take place and go more smoothly without interrupting patron activ-
ity. Both virtual and in-person attendees commented on checking 
in on students and colleagues. One attendee discussed a campaign 
where library and campus administrative staff called each student 
to learn more about their unique situations and needs. Others dis-
cussed checking in with colleagues, including using technology such 
as Microsoft Teams to check in with their peers.

Question 3:  
“How have you worked to improve your library culture? What are strate-
gies you’ve used to build relationships?”
While in-person attendees focused more on the broader institutional 
culture, virtual attendees reported that they created informal chan-
nels for communication, utilizing Microsoft Teams and Slack in order 
to communicate with one another. Additionally, they created new 
workflows and had discussions in support of departmental work. 
Simultaneously, virtual attendees acknowledged the challenge of 
communicating work, discussions, and decisions across the entire 
library. They reported experiencing some silos and shared that it is 
important to be intentional about scheduling and engaging in face-
to-face conversations when provided that opportunity.

Question 4:  
“How has hybrid or online learning pushed us to improve our teach-
ing practices or services? What hybrid or online learning practices have 
been successful for you?”
In-person attendees discussed student needs and the extent to which 
libraries could meet student needs at the beginning and throughout 
the pandemic. The pandemic made the digital divide more evident 
where, even if students had devices critical for distance learning, 
they did not always have reliable internet. This significant disruption 
could not be mitigated by libraries whose physical locations were 
closed. However, some attendees’ libraries loaned laptops to students 



124  ATLA 2022 PROCEEDINGS

and one person said: “It was nice to be the connection [for students to 
technology].” This personal and individualized approach to library 
service can be extremely beneficial for students overwhelmed with 
the nuances of coping with the pandemic and their schoolwork.

Question 5:  
“How has the pandemic magnified or focused priorities, new programs, 
and things that need to happen?”
In-person attendees reported an increase in e-resource usage by 
patrons, yet also a need to communicate the complexity of these re-
sources. The pandemic provided an opportunity for patrons to be-
come more familiar with digital materials, whereas in pre-pandemic 
times they preferred print materials; yet this familiarity means that 
they are now demanding more e-resources without an understand-
ing of the increasing costs and complicated licensing terms of these 
resources. Patrons see that they can purchase their own e-resources 
without understanding that libraries spend much more money on 
these same resources through library vendors. These changing ex-
pectations of having ready access to e-books means that patrons are 
surprised and frustrated when these are not immediately available.

Building off the theme of addressing patrons’ technological needs, 
in-person attendees indicated that the pandemic has magnified the 
necessity of understanding patrons’ unique needs in general. One 
attendee said: “Even if we can’t help each student, we began to un-
derstand their circumstances.”

Question 6:  
“What are you working towards now?”
We hoped that the final question would inspire hope for the future. 
Indeed, participants shared what they were looking forward to as 
they described where their efforts are currently concentrated. Virtual 
attendees answered the question “What are you working towards 
now?” by describing a need to focus on morale, healing, and building 
community across the campus and within their own libraries and en-
couraging patron usage of library space back to pre-COVID levels, es-
pecially returning to a sense of pre-COVID socializing and community.

In-person attendees described specific strategies for reducing 
barriers to library access. These included trying to implement single 
sign-on authentication and continuing to leverage technologies origi-
nating in the pandemic such as live streaming, digitization, and video 



CONvERSATION GROuPS  125

display of special collections materials. This group also discussed 
trying to bring patrons back to the physical library space after they 
had become so familiar with the virtual services afforded by their 
libraries. Attendees shared hope for outside-of-the-box thinking, 
which included programming such as escape rooms and services that 
support the whole learner such as satellite food pantries. Although a 
generation of students learned of the library as virtual space during 
their pandemic experience, attendees believed that more students 
entering the library space after many pandemic restrictions have 
been lifted will associate the library with its physical form as well 
as its virtual services.

CONCLUSION

The unifying theme of our discussion, across both in-person and vir-
tual modalities and across all questions, was “needs.” Participants 
explored patrons’ needs while also questioning what library and staff 
needs are as we look to the future. While we are looking forward to 
building community and once again hosting more and more patrons 
in our physical spaces, we wonder what the future of theological li-
brarianship will look like.

Notes from our conversations may be viewed by visiting https://
bit.ly/Atla2022Conversation.

REFERENCES

Welsh, Megan E., Ian Burke, and James Estes. “Uncertainty and 
Resilience: Experiences at Theological Libraries During the 
COVID-19 Pandemic.” Theological Librarianship 14, no. 1 
(2021): 1-21.

https://bit.ly/Atla2022Conversation
https://bit.ly/Atla2022Conversation

