KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee moved classes online after Spring Break, to slow the spread of COVID-19 and protect the university community. Officials with UT Libraries said the system was already prepared to help with the transition.
Research assistance was already available online for students. However, once the university moved to an online landscape, library staff said there was a surge in the number of people asking for help.
They extended the hours of its AskUsNow service until 2 a.m. five days of the week, and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. The service connects people with professional librarians through chat, text, email and phone calls to help them with any research questions.
“A lot of what I’m running into are undergraduates having to navigate off-campus access to library resources for the very first time," Brianne Dosch, a librarian with UT Libraries, said in a press release.
Every academic discipline has a librarian experienced in the field to help people with their research. Several said they are staying in touch with students as they approach the end of the semester and need help navigating the end of class.
UT Libraries officials also said that they expanded the availability of literature through partnerships with databases, including HathiTrust. University of Tennessee users have temporary online access to almost 1.5 million copyrighted titles that the library currently has in print.
Officials also said that they are documenting the campus experience during coronavirus pandemic — one of the most important services the library can offer. It's asking students and staff to document their experiences over the next year through journals & creative work.
“Future historians need to hear from you and understand how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting your life," Alesha Shumar, a university archivist, said in a press release.
The personal experiences will be preserved in the Betsey B. Creekmore Special Collections and University Archives, officials said in a press release.