“The library is not a meeting place” : The public libraries' program activities during the Covid-19 pandemic and what the lingering consequences might be.

In 2020 a global pandemic began that affected libraries around the world. Due to government restrictions public libraries in Sweden were greatly limited in their operations. Within the public libraries' program activities, the amount of activities was halved. The library's response to continue to achieve the goals connected to the program activities was to undergo a shift from physical to digital. The purpose of this study was to analyse the shift and its impact on the program activities, on the libraries' goals, and whether library staff believe that the shift has long-term consequences for the library. In the survey, representatives from the largest public libraries in eight provinces in Sweden participated in semi-structured interviews to share their experiences during the pandemic period and also their thoughts on the future. The results showed a complete shift from physical to digital programs during the period. They had to change their way of working, acquire new equipment and skills to offer new programs and services to users digitally. But the shift brought problems: for example, when materials were to be published online, with digital participation, and because the program's goals became more difficult to achieve. Some benefits were also highlighted, including that digital activities attracted new users and an opportunity to participate regardless of distance to the library. The conclusions that can be drawn from the survey is that the program activities will in part return to their original form before the pandemic. The respondents believed that some hybridization will take place, that selected physical programs will also be shown digitally, but that the digital development and the digital working methods will generally be limited to enable the library as a physical meeting place and the return of visitors.