Academic libraries inside a crisis environment

the mediation of information through social networks in the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The pandemic established by the new Coronavirus brings up reflections on the mediating role of university libraries. In this context, it seeks to identify university libraries as mediators of information and promoters of access to information in the fight against COVID-19. It is a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive research, with documentary research and bibliographic review in the scope of information mediation, misinformation and new attitudes in accessing information, in the face of the world crisis. Information was also sought on websites and social networks of the Libraries of the University of São Paulo (USP), State University of São Paulo Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP) and State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) for users. The results suggest that the rigor of the sites can be an impediment to the dissemination of information in moments like the pandemic, which call for faster and more efficient solutions, that social networks are an alternative to the rigidity of the site, because the form of use does not collides with relations between administrative sectors. They also indicate that Facebook is the social network most used by libraries, and Instagram the least used. As considerations, COVID-19 has shown new demands and libraries, as equipment for social transformation, need to adapt to meet the expectations of their community. However, in the context of a pandemic, libraries need to reflect and adopt innovative approaches to accessing information.