The first seven months of the Covid-19 pandemic: Reflections from The National Library of Wales

Into lockdown

Events unfolded quickly in the days leading up to the announcement by the UK government of a UK-wide lockdown on 23 March 2020. There were barely 7 days between the decision by the Library to suspend public programmes; close the building to the public; close the building to the majority of staff and the wholesale closure of the building to staff. This process called for effective internal and external communication. One of the critical tasks during this time was the completion of a staff audit to determine who were at highest risk; had domestic responsibilities; had access to IT equipment; and whether or not they had tasks that were suitable to work from home. For staff unable to work, the Library took advantage of the UK government Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (better known as the furlough scheme) to contribute to the income gap that quickly opened up in Library finances.

The number of staff with access to laptops was very limited during the first few weeks and equipment had to be prioritised carefully to ensure the continuity of critical services and functions. Technical infrastructure to enable online meetings was in place by the first day of lockdown which allowed staff meetings and committees to continue for those who had suitable equipment to use from home. The roll-out of online communication equipment to staff did take time to implement and also highlighted the digital divide between staff working in particular areas of the Library. For example, retaining effective communication with staff who have roles focused on physical collections was more challenging due to their unfamiliarity or inability to participate in virtual meetings. This led the Library later to launch an Internal Digital Skills Programme.

Collections security was also a key consideration. Discussions with other libraries and cultural institutions allowed the Library to determine appropriate arrangements. While security staff remained on site at all times, periodic visits by conservation staff were established to monitor and identify any environmental risks to the collections.

Although the initial response was largely concerned with practical and logistical arrangements it became clear that supporting the well-being of staff would become more challenging the longer restrictions remained in place. Regular and consistent messages to staff would also be an important feature. However, the vast range of different experiences felt by staff would make the role of line managers even more important in understanding the particular pressures felt by each individual. As the lockdown was further extended and without clear indication of when the Library building could be reopened to staff, in May a second organisation-wide survey was undertaken to create a space for managers to discuss the impact of the ongoing situation on the capacity and well-being of staff.

A digital surge

While work relating to physical collections was significantly curtailed, the Library saw a surge in usage of its digital collections and services as people were confined to their homes. The lockdown also highlighted the number of events and interactions with staff and volunteers that would ordinarily have taken place at the Library in Aberystwyth and at other locations across Wales. Generally, the situation increased awareness of the need to understand our audiences and became the basis for discussion about the core purpose of activities, their value to users, methods of engagement and alternative means of delivering services.

The events programme was relaunched as a virtual programme in May with the digital format offering opportunities to reach a wider audience and a greater range of speakers and participants due to the absence of any geographical constraints. Staff were also given opportunities to participate and speak at online events organised by other organisations.

Interaction with the Library via social media was 80% higher during the 3-month period to June. It also offered an opportunity for curatorial staff to produce more interpretational content and host lectures as part of the ‘Curators Present’ programme. There was also increased production and usage of digital learning resources by the Education Service as schools and parents went online to search for materials for online classrooms and home-learning.

There is widespread consensus that this period has accelerated trends that were already evident before the pandemic with the shift towards digital being the most obvious. Home working platforms offer more dynamic communications that have facilitated better cross-departmental and team working, organising work around areas of activity rather than organisational structure. With capacity varying across the workforce and the absence of a clocking system, work has shifted from a time-based to a task-based approach with many staff reporting higher productivity during lockdown.

The limitations of this period also allowed teams to focus more intensely on certain work areas. Processing and ingest of digitised collections was significantly increased during the summer months, for example. Although collection of physical items was curtailed, collection of online material was considered to be key in capturing the unfolding pandemic. The identification of websites to be included in the Web Archive was a key activity in this area – a task that will give future historians a valuable insight into this period.

First easing of restrictions

After weeks of preparation, at the end of July, the first cohorts of staff returned to the Library building in Aberystwyth. Priority was given to staff whose primary roles required them to work within the building. July also saw the resumption of physical accessions and processing of print Legal Deposit collections. In August, remote reprographic services resumed with a fast scanning service introduced for modern print collections. September saw the reopening of the reading room with limited service and users were required to pre-book a limited number of visiting slots. However, with a gradual increase in Covid-19 cases nationwide, the Library made the decision not to re-introduce further services on-site until at least the new year.

At the beginning of 2020, the Library was in the process of reviewing its use of public spaces within its building in Aberystwyth. The uncertainty regarding the future behaviour of users in relation to public spaces as a result of the pandemic makes planning difficult. However, it could also be argued that the disruption provides an opportunity for libraries to think about the shape of services going forward and potentially align any change with the lifting of restrictions.

Impact on vision and future plans

At the time of writing, a resurgence of Covid-19 cases has led the Welsh Government to announce a Firebreak, a 2-week period of significant ‘stay at home’ restrictions that will see the closure of the Library building again to all but essential staff.

It is against this backdrop that the Library is drafting its latest Strategic Plan due to replace the current plan that ends in March 2021. The uncertainty regarding the future course of the pandemic is proving to be significant challenge to long-term planning. A strategic vision for 2021–2026 was published in June 2020 with a consultation period ending in July. The consultation itself was conducted entirely online and the exercise demonstrated how the rapid normalisation of video-conferencing has facilitated engagement with stakeholders.

The drafting of medium-term plans during the summer and revised service performance indicators marks a shift from a crisis management mode to consolidating change introduced in the wake of the pandemic. The pandemic has also led to the critical review of the way projects are shaped and how they can be adapted in response to a ‘new normal’. The most obvious example is The National Broadcast Archive, a 5-year £8 m project funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund, Welsh Government and The National Library of Wales. This project, which is in its first year, is currently being reconfigured to respond to the challenges that face us in a Covid-19 affected world. There will be an increased focus on community engagement and the role of project activity in renewal.

The pandemic has undoubtedly accelerated the shift to focus on digital, but there will be questions about the extent to which changes or additions introduced to services and activities during the restrictions will be retained beyond this time of crisis, and whether they will be sustainable as other on-site activities resume.

Changes were likely to have taken years have happened in a couple of months or weeks. These rapid changes along with the pressures of living through a pandemic are affecting our ways of thinking. This requires organisations to ensure that they provide continued support to staff as they adapt to these changes. This needs to be considered now. Imminent restructuring at NLW is an opportunity to direct resources to those areas of change. The wider economic impact of the pandemic means that the financing of publicly funded National Libraries will remain challenging for the foreseeable future. It is therefore more important than ever that these organisations are able to demonstrate their value as institutions that promote the well-being and prosperity of the people and communities that they serve. One thing is clear, National Libraries will need to be agile to adapt to an uncertain future.