Library in New Normal Era : Opportunities and Challenges

We are currently still facing the New Normal period (New Normal) as a continuation phase of the covid-19 pandemic that invites us to be more adaptable apply clean and healthy living behaviors. Clean and healthy lifestyle is not only carried out in the daily environment but is also applied when doing activities in the office by using the existing health protocol.

Library as part of information institution have an important role to assist users in fulfilling information. New normal conditions change the face of the library including user behavior in utilizing information in the library. Library users who previously came directly to the library to read books directly are now partly turning to utilizing digital services. Books that were previously cleaned and cared for once a month are now need special handling at all times. These new phenomena need to be identified and understood  quickly by the librarian. Therefore, the first thing that needs to be done by the library is to change the new Standard Operating Procedure in accordance with the new normal conditions in the library, including :

1. Librarians must use hand sanitizer, wear mask and clean items that will be touched (OPAC / online catalog, mouse, etc.) by users before opening the library service
2. Libraries are required to provide hand sanitizer for staff and visitors
3. Librarians should wear gloves when receiving / moving library collections
4. Library users are required to use hand sanitizer and mask before entering the library
5. Library users who read the collection in the library are required to put it in the box provided after being used
6. Library users are suggested to search book collection through online catalog and inform the librarian before borrowing
7.  Collections borrowed by library users should be quarantined for 24 hours before handling and re-circulation or cleaned with book sterilizer machine to speed up the quarantine process 
8. It is recommended to keep a distance between librarians and library users during returning process of library collection
9. Limit the number of people in the library
10. Limit the opening hours of the library
11. Limit the duration of utilization in the library
12. Floor marking
13. Rearrange furniture
14. etc.

The role and preparedness of librarians are needed in facing the new normal. At the time of covid-19, there were many library service that did not operate and even the library was closed. This is actually a challenge for librarians to increase the existence of the library. There are several challenges faced by librarians in new normal conditions such as optimizing library services, implementing work programs that are owned in the library effectively, optimizing the utilization of existing collections in the library, the number of increasing visit to the library, etc. The real challenges before and after covid-19 are not much different. At the moment, the fundamental challenge is how to change the way the library works which used to be more direct to the online systems. This requires adequate librarians competence to answer these challenge and also the infrastructure to support the success of the activities in the library.

In the new normal era, the challenged faced by the library can be anticipated well if the librarian can read the opportunities that are around. There are several opportunities that can be observed by librarians such as the use of information technology, the use of learning applications, changes in library user behavior, flexibility of learning time, etc. The entire opportunity can be utilize maximally by the librarians to optimize the new normal condition in the library. Librarians can serve users online through applications, conduct user education activities through learning application, download and subscribe e-book for optimal use by library users.

So, the library can answer the challenges that exist by reading the opportunities around and increasing the competence of librarians with high technological skills and motivation. New normal conditions provide a new atmosphere and hope for the library to be more existent and utilized by users.