THE COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented dangers and challenges.
As a result of the closure of campus health services, students have experienced housing and food insecurity, lost wages because of the loss of campus or work-study jobs, anxiety and uncertainty about their futures, and other mental health issues.
Fiji’s sectors were affected by this disastrous pandemic, including education and libraries.
In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasized the need not only to tackle the pandemic but also the infodemic.
Thus, the libraries are ahead in supplying the right information to the right user at the right time and handling the information overload, known as an infodemic, which complicates the problem regardless of how credible or erroneous the information is.
The National Library Week (NLW) annual celebration recognises the worldwide libraries and library staff’s pivotal role in enhancing literacy and transforming society.
In addition, the National Library Workers Day (NLWD) is observed annually on Tuesday of this glorious week, so it has also been celebrated, highlighting the library staff member’s critical role in keeping the libraries running. The libraries of Fiji have also cherished the NLW celebration from April 3-9, 2022.
This year “connect with your library” has been the theme of NLW 2022 to promote libraries as learning resource centres to connect to the physical and digital world of knowledge.
For those not interested in reading books, libraries also provide other options for connecting with the new worlds of learning through access to fantastic technology, awesome multimedia content, and inspiring educational programs.
It is also crucial to note that libraries serve as a bridge between communities and welcome communities to take part in the library’s campaign.
Molly Shannon, Honorary Chair for National Library Week 2022, stated that “libraries are places where communities connect – to things like broadband, computers, programs and classes, books, movies, video games, and more”.
The history of NLW started in the mid-1950s when Americans spent a significant portion of their time listening to radio, watching television, and playing with musical gadgets than books, which resulted in less reading.
Therefore, the American Library Association (ALA) and the American Book Publishers (ABP) established a non-profit National Book Committee (NBC) in 1954 with striving aims as “encouraging people to read in their increasing leisure time”, “improving incomes and health”, and “developing strong and happy family life”.
In 1958, NBC introduced the NLW first with the theme “wake up and read” to motivate communities to read and appreciate the role of all kinds of libraries, such as public libraries, academic libraries (school, college, and university libraries), special libraries, and so on.
The year 2018 celebration honoured its 60th anniversary.
Across the globe, libraries have been closed for the past two years due to the disastrous COVID calamity, so NLW and NLWD were celebrated virtually. Before this catastrophe, visiting the libraries by the community and enclosing the library products and services for the community by organising exhibitions, promotion drives, lectures, debates, conferences, seminars, question and answers giveaways, etc., have been popular for celebrating NLW and NLWD.
This year, most nations have uplifted the lockdown, and all sectors, including the education sector, have welcomed this new normal. These events have been celebrated worldwide face-to-face and virtually as online tours and exhibitions, webinars, online lectures, online debates, etc., using the latest digital technology like Microsoft Team, Google meets, BlueJeans, GoToWebinar, Zoom, Webex meets, Skype, etc.
Professor Abdul Majid Baba has also stated the importance of libraries and technology in disseminating the knowledge during the COVID devastating scenario.
Finally, the public commemorated NLW and NLWD, connecting their libraries and library staff to use the offered incredible products and services as well as appreciating their effort to use social media tools (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, hashtag, etc.) to promote the libraries.
This COVID crisis has been a boon for the libraries and library staff to market their products and services and attract customers economically through face-to-face and virtual environments.
- Dr Tanveer Haider Naqvi is the Deputy University Librarian under the Department of Library Services at Fiji National University. The views expressed are his and not that of this newspaper. For comments or suggestions, e-mail: enaqvitanveer@gmail.com
