Most libraries around the world are closing their doors to the public, because of the effects of the Coronavirus. Does this mean that patrons would not have access to materials? No, at this time, it would be most appreciated that the library are now promoting their e-resources more than ever. E-resources represent an increasingly important component of the collection-building activities of libraries. “Electronic resources” refer to those materials that require computer access, whether through a personal computer, mainframe, or handheld mobile device. They may either be accessed remotely via the Internet or locally. Some of the most frequently encountered types are:
E-journals
E-books
Full-text (aggregated) databases
Indexing and abstracting databases
Reference databases (biographies, dictionaries, directories, encyclopaedias,
etc.)
Numeric and statistical databases
E-images
E-audio/visual resources
Examples of some libraries that have promoted their e-resources
- The City of Phoenix have announced via social media That their library will be closed. On Twitter their post read, “Effective Monday, March 16, the city of #PHX is taking steps to help further prevent the spread of #Coronavirus by temporarily closing all libraries as well as all indoor recreation and senior centers. Details on this new development: http://ow.ly/N2hn50yMpIn #covid19
2. NALIS, of Trinidad and Tobago sent out a media release to the public via social media and their website, that they effectively March 14, 2020. All places of learning, inclusive of schools and universities will remain closed for one week, in the first instance. Click on link to view the library’s website for further developments https://www.nalis.gov.tt/.
3. The National Central Library of Rome announced on their website that, “Pursuant to the Prime Ministerial Decree of March 8, 2020 art. 2 paragraph d, the opening of places of culture is suspended. Therefore, the Central National Library will remain closed to the public from today until further notice”. On their website, the user has access to the Digital Library. The Digital Library is an innovative service that allows you to consult numerous resources of the Central National Library of Rome online and which currently collects all the digitizations produced by the Library in a single container. Altogether it currently hosts 16 million images .
The Digital Library is divided into six sections:
PRINTED (old books and modern books);
IMAGES (photographs relating to the Ceccarius Fund and the ISIAO photographic fund);
MUSIC (records and sheet music belonging to the Sicilian Fund);
MANUSCRIPTS (further divided into modern and contemporary manuscripts and ancient manuscripts)
FONDI D’AUTORE (clippings belonging to the Falqui Fund and books with dedication and traces of reading belonging to the Falqui Fund and the Morante Fund);
NATIONAL LIBRARY (periodicals belonging to the National Library).
To use the digital service, simply access the “Access to the Digital Library” section from the home page of the National Central Library of Rome http://www.bncrm.beniculturali.it
SOSA 
2 replies on “How can the Library help in a time of crisis, like the Coronavirus?”
It is a evident that the COVID – 19 pandemic is impacting on many, if not all, aspects of our daily lives. The fact that many countries have shut down their educational systems to avoid the spread of this virus speaks volumes about this scary virus. However, with children at home, education and some form of learning should continue. I appreciate the library for taking the step to still focus on their core deliverable, which is literacy for all. While the leaders of the world is dealing with this crisis, our future generation should be gaining the necessary knowledge to take up the mantle to guide us into the future.
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Very good post Victoria.It is in times like these where we see the invaluable contribution of e-resources collections in libraries. Additionally, libraries are depended upon for the dissemination of current and credible information in times of crisis and emergencies.
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