University libraries in Germany during the pandemic

Abstract

In spring 2021, a year has passed since the beginning of the pandemic, during which university libraries have been closed or their functioning has been significantly reduced a number of times. The article presents the recommendations of authorities from individual federal states, the recommendations of the German Librarians' Association (Deutscher Bibliotheksverband), the United Services Trade Union (Vereinte Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft), the Minister of State for Culture and Media, as well as regulations of the Ministry of Science, Research, and Culture concerning the functioning of libraries and the work of librarians. The manner of ensuring safe operation of German university libraries during the pandemic has also been examined.  Willing to help readers access the collected works, libraries quickly launched a digitization service on demand as well as online training, podcasts, and video tutorials for users. Describing the activities of libraries, the authors focus on spring 2021, since both in Germany and in Poland, we were experiencing the third wave of COVID-19. The article has been created basing on an analysis of documents and materials posted on the websites of individual libraries.