Digital services adapted by libraries in Mexico to COVID-19 pandemic: a critical review
ISSN: 2059-5816
Article publication date: 18 February 2021
Issue publication date: 7 April 2021
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to analyze to what extent the strategic actions implemented by the libraries contribute to the containment of the pandemic caused by COVID-19, without compromising the quality of library services for their learning communities.
Design/methodology/approach
The research has a mixed methodology: qualitative and quantitative with a technique of documentary review and statistical analysis of data through FanPage Karma software. The documents are public and are part of the teaching programs of the universities, webinars and courses given through accounts and official sites of the Mexican Federal Government, social networks, as well as groups of experts in national and international librarianship.
Findings
The research documents and describes the library services that have emerged in libraries since the quarantine and isolation period established by the Ministry of Public Education. It also shows the strategic actions adopted by universities (their advantages and disadvantages) and the digital competencies of the library professionals to meet the information demands of their communities. Additionally, actions implemented to provide a rapid response are discussed so that they can later be improved to have a comprehensive framework for improving quality in the remote library service.
Originality/value
This research contributes value to the field by critically analyzing libraries’ distance services, their innovations and the necessary professional competences required to achieve the institutional academic goals. Additionally, relevant services in the digital context are described.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Scholarcy (https://app.scholarcy.com/) for sponsoring the access for the development of this manuscript; also, they want to thank Jorge Manuel Arredondo Sevilla for their collaboration in correcting grammar in the English language.
Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Funding: The research was self-funded by the authors.
Authors’ contributions: JPM and CSA conceived the presented idea. All authors read, correct and approved the final manuscript.
Citation
Ortega-Martínez, E.d.l.Á., Pacheco-Mendoza, J., García Meléndez, H.E., Ortiz-Díaz, E.M. and Saavedra-Alamillas, C. (2021), "Digital services adapted by libraries in Mexico to COVID-19 pandemic: a critical review", Digital Library Perspectives, Vol. 37 No. 1, pp. 3-17. https://doi.org/10.1108/DLP-07-2020-0063
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited