Advantages and Challenges of Open Access Resources During COVID-19 and Beyond

The COVID-19 pandemic taught librarians that we needed to up our game of providing access to needed resources to serve patrons’ needs even while our physical buildings were shuttered last year. Some vendors and publishers offered deals to libraries to convert their print book purchases or journal subscriptions to online; however, not all libraries had funds to do this. Other publishers offered free access to part or all of their resources to libraries, and some are continuing to do so even though some libraries have returned to more normal operations. Open access resources have been around for years, and allow libraries to expand their access to resources beyond the library walls without financial burden, but they do offer challenges for libraries, especially during the COVID-19 shutdown. Come to this presentation to learn about the benefits and challenges of open access for libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond