Daily Times

COVID-19 is a widespread pandemic disease detected in Wuhan (China) in November 2019. The pandemic has affected 213 Countries. Several major cities around the globe are in lockdown.

The world response to the COVID-19 is different from country to country but as a whole, it has badly crumbled the world’s economy. COVID-19 has disturbed political, social-economic, financial and religious structures of the world. World’s top most economies like thUS, China, UK France, Germany, Italy, Japan and many others are at the verge of collapse. Many states have temporarily closed their active businesses. Educational institutions such as universities, colleges and schools have been closed globally and it is believed that 90 per cent of the world’s students will be affected. There is a great challenge to distance learners. Many institutions are shifting their courses online and students are engaging with e-books, e-journals and online learning. Global Education coalition has launched the UNESCO as an emergency response to help countries in scaling up their learning practice via distance mode.

In Pakistan, the first case of COVID-19 was diagnosed on 26 Feb 2020 .Presently; there are more than 209,337 diagnosed cases and 4,304 death cases detected as of June 30, 2020 in world meter report. A country with more than 60 percent of youth rely on physical research. Libraries are regarded as one of the few places where one can go and borrow books without any cost. Libraries serve as a lifeline for low-income families. There are several traditional libraries offering physical services to their patrons. Public libraries are serving for the entire community; unfortunately, many public libraries in Pakistan even do not have their own websites to offer online services to the users. Colleges and School libraries are at the mercy of God. There is no advancement since the advent of advanced technologies in Pakistan.

Covid-19 has not only affected the business community in Pakistan but also educational institutions. The government is unable to devise policy plans for the researchers in the country. Most of researchers use physical libraries but, the Physical branches have already been shut down

Covid-19 has not only affected the business community in Pakistan but also educational institutions. The government is unable to devise policy plans for the researchers in the country. Most of researchers use physical libraries but, the Physical branches have already been shut down. Although, a few libraries offer a digital content for those who have internet access elsewhere. Many developed countries have directed their researchers to online resources. The Mission of UNESCO and International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) jointly granted access to information resources via digital library. Another fascinating step has been taken by the Internet Archive on March 24 called National Emergency Library. The purpose of this project is to give an access to 1.4 million books in its digital lending library and these services will remain in place until June 30, 2020.

Many publishers and digital libraries have offered free contents and curating their collections for the masses to read them without disruption. These are credible resources giving access to high-quality e-books and journals and similar educational contents.

People were in-cognizant of digital contents prior to Covid-19. The pandemic has made many users aware of digital library for first time to use these contents because of the closure of libraries. However, those traditional libraries which do not offer digital services face many challenges to keep their services active during Covid-19.

Librarians in different countries have adopted new practices to achieve their academic goals. They provide access to Electronic resources in several ways. Some offer VPN Services to electronic databases while others give direct login password to Digital Databases.

As the universities, colleges and schools in Pakistan are in lockdown since March 2020. Ministry of Education and Higher Education Commission Pakistan have jointly devised some policy plan for online classes. Ironically, no strategy so far has designed for online material. Researchers confront with numerous challenges; one such challenge is to get desired material at their desktop. Several publishers have launched free contents during COVID-19. However, many researchers in Pakistan have not been educated to get benefits from extensive online materials.

The 21st century, presumably, is an era of online activities. Classes are now made available online, workshops, seminars and conferences are conducted online. Libraries in Pakistan still evoke us the old pictures of 20th century. To stay safe, healthy, and Eco-friendly through this global pandemic and beyond, the government should spend more budget on libraries rather than online classes. Digital Libraries have been becoming norms at colleges and universities, combining technology and information resources, allowing remote access to educational contents and breaking down the physical barriers. The government must ensure a digital library culture in the country. To thrive in this new reality, libraries need to accelerate and ought to be more proactive and responsive.

The writer is library officer at Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad and can be reached at abidhussain@issi.org.pk