Interview: “The Librarian Reserve Corps: Fighting COVID-19 with Mediated Information”

From the Oxford University Press Blog:

From the Oxford University Press Blog:

Librarians have always been at the forefront of information needs and have provided critical assistance to patrons, public officials, and decision makers during uncertain times. The COVID-19 pandemic is no exception and has created an urgent, unprecedented demand for access to knowledge that is accurate, reliable, and timely.

The Librarian Reserve Corps (LRC) was founded in March 2020 to meet this demand. Over 100 volunteers worldwide have signed up to partner with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network (GOARN) and have ensured that health and science professionals have access to the latest information during the COVID-19 pandemic via mediated literature searching services.

We asked four librarians, who are in different countries around the world, about their experiences as volunteers of the Librarian Reserve Corps.

The librarians interviewed are:

• Jane Orbell-Smith, Libraries’ Manager for Redcliffe Hospital Library and the Caboolture Hospital Library
• Denise Smith, Health Sciences Library at McMaster University
• Joanne Doucette, MCPHS University (formally Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences)
• Isatou N’Jie, Clinical Librarian at the North East London NHS

Direct to the Complete Interview

Direct to Librarian Reserve Corps Website

Filed under: Interviews, Libraries, News, Patrons and Users, Profiles