Like most librarians, when I have a research question, I go to the databases to search the literature for comparable questions and possible solutions. The onslaught of COVID-19 and its impact on libraries (let alone every other aspect of life) has thrown librarians for a loop and disrupted all our standard modes of enquiry. In a matter of days in the spring of 2020, librarians went from business as usual to locking the doors behind us and trying to figure out how to run a Zoom research support session from the dining room table.

My tried and true method of making sense out of chaos, i.e., searching the literature for answers, was of little use in this fast-paced situation. In my lifetime of working in libraries, I had never felt so isolated, so out-of-control, so carried along haphazardly in a strong current of events.

Art and special collection librarians have been particularly hard hit by the changes wrought by COVID-19. Special collections have always been strongly tied to the physicality of objects – art libraries often walk a fine line between art collections and information resources. The museum library collection is strongly entwined with the objects in the museum's collection. How is this connection maintained and illustrated when the museum and the library are closed? For libraries whose collected scholarship revolves around physical objects, how do we help patrons to see objects in dark galleries and to learn from books that they can't hold?

One of the first trials I faced as the library closed and staff began working remotely was devising appropriate online tasks and projects for members of staff now stuck at home. We were fortunate enough to work for an institution that was committed to remote work and eschewed layoffs or furloughs, but that meant I had to come up with online tasks for each staff member, several student assistants, and two interns. For a time, juggling these remote projects was a full-time job in and of itself.

Eight months after the start of the pandemic, a search of Art and Architecture Source and Library Literature for articles that might help art librarians cope with this changing situation reveals the paucity of scholarly published information on the topic and also highlights the difficulties of publishing in art librarianship in general. It has always been difficult to publish in this field. The venues available are limited, and in some ways the profession itself does not make it easy to publish. Art librarians in the UK, Ireland and most of Europe are not particularly rewarded for writing articles or contributing chapters to books. While in many cases American academic art librarians are expected to publish as a part of their professional duties, librarians elsewhere do not have that incentive and must go above and beyond their job expectations to contribute to the scholarship of the profession. Even in the case of American art libraries, it is rare that an institution will award specific time and resources for librarians to contribute to professional scholarship.

Early on when working from home, I naively thought that since I would not be tied to the day-to- day physical activity in the library, I would finally have the time to work on some of my own research—I could finish that article I've been working on for over a year now. But the sad reality is I have even less time than ever before for that type of work. In some crazy way, Zoom meetings seem to have expanded to fill all available time and are only rivalled by the river of email that never seems to slow down. I looked desperately to the literature for help.

Although my searches revealed scant few articles about art libraries and COVID-19, filling the gap are some very helpful and timely online resources being published by professional organizations closely aligned with art libraries.

IFLA, the International Federation of Library Associations, has published a site on COVID-19 that includes key resources for libraries responding to the pandemic with topics that include: providing services remotely, managing remote working, reassigning library resources and tips and guidelines for reopening libraries safely. There is also an upcoming special issue of the IFLA Journal that will highlight library innovations during the pandemic.Footnote ¹

SLA, the Special Libraries Association, has a site devoted to pandemic information for special libraries.Footnote ² The site posts updates from the REALM (REopening Archives Libraries and Museums) project that strives to foster the safe handling of collections as they reopen and to provide scientific information regarding the virus and its life-cycle on various types of library materials.Footnote ³

ARLIS/NA, the Art Libraries Society of North America, has put together several informal opportunities for members to share information. The Education Subcommittee holds a series of lunchtime chats that look at some of the nuts and bolts issues confronting art librarians now—how are we keeping patrons and students engaged with art this fall? What strategies and tools have we tried? What has worked well in the workplace? The Academic Library Division hosts a series of open forums for art librarians in academic institutions to share tales on topics such as: library operations – what works and what doesn't; virtual instruction and online research assistance; course reserves; circulation and quarantining of materials.

The professional organizations in our field have quickly pivoted to annual conferences that are entirely online – an absolute necessity for this time. As welcome as this shift is, and as informative and timely as the virtual presentations can be, it's just not the same. That seems obvious, but while electronic papers can be disseminated more easily to a wider audience and are accessible by a much greater potential audience, virtual conferences still leave much to be desired. Nothing can replace the hundreds of close interactions that occur at live conferences, and seeing a presentation in person is a totally different experience from watching one in the comfort of your home, where distractions abound.

The efforts of our colleagues providing resources through professional organizations are encouraging and vitally helpful to librarians now, but they can't go far enough. Certainly, there will be time at some point in the future for published looks at the long-term effects of COVID-19 on library collections and services. I can envision many publications that will look at how the virus has changed the way that art libraries interact with their patrons and collections; how it might even come to be that the lessons of COVID-19 have a silver lining: opening access across all kinds of digital realms and platforms. But is it too soon now for near reflection? Can we even reflect in print on COVID-19 and its effect on us as art librarians while we are still experiencing it?

Social media has certainly played a role in timely near reflection – allowing librarians to share their experiences and to ruminate on the changes of the past months. Twitter allows us to share experiences in real time, almost as they are happening, but doesn't allow us to disseminate a history of those experiential posts or to reflect with a longer glance back. The ephemeral nature of social media means it has much less lasting scholarly impact than traditional publishing, though it is certainly useful and even essential in the moment.

I feel that it is in times such as these –when librarians (and art librarians in particular), are very much alone, uncertain, cut off from colleagues and indeed often from their own collections, operating in fast-changing environments, using new protocols, techniques and skills –in which it is vitally important that we publish. It is precisely in these times that we need librarians to write about and share their experiences; to share how they overcame challenges and seized opportunities. How they are weathering this storm and the tools and skills they are using.

I want to see the articles that show me how to run a workshop on artists’ publications on Zoom – how to teach students to uncover hidden resources by just sharing screens and using video. I look for the articles that share the new tricks of our trade, the articles that help us all cope and even thrive with the new norms in art librarianship. How do we bring our collections to patrons? How do we use social media to illuminate services? How do we stay relevant within the institution? How do we expand digital access to collections? How can we utilize student workers virtually? How do we juggle working virtually while our own children are also attending school virtually? What are the trials and errors that other libraries have experienced that could help us all? How has the accelerated move to online and digital resources re-shaped art libraries? How can art librarians work together to develop strategies for the future of art librarianship?

I don't think it's too soon to ask these questions and as I continue tapping on my keyboard, I keep hoping that others have been able to find some of the answers.