Library services and facilities in higher education institutions during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Pakistan

Abstract

This article attempts to evaluate the library services and facilities during the pandemic situations in Pakistan. This study is fashioned in positivistic tradition of quantitative research design, and a cross-sectional research method was employed. The objective of the study was to examine the library services available to students and faculty members in two public sector academic libraries in Pakistan. A complete list of students and faculty members was collected from the concerned offices along with their WhatsApp numbers and email address. A total of 1736 students and faculty members sampled through proportionate random sampling technique and filled the questionnaire out of 7835. The inclusion criteria to participate was based on enrolled students of public and private sector university, passed at least one semester of BS (4 years) and MA/MSc (2 years) programme in Pakistan, and faculty members using library resources. A structured questionnaire to measure the response of library patrons and consisted of exogenous and endogenous variables and pretested. The study findings showed that COVID-19 pandemic situations affected educational institutions at a large scale. The social distancing rule was opted to minimise the risk of infection and university libraries were also closed down. However, due to online learning transformation, library materials were digitalized and online library services were provided to students and faculty members.