Curators of The University Of Missouri (School of Information Science and Learning Technologies)

The University of Missouri's School of Information Science and Learning Technologies will conduct a needs assessment and environmental scan of rural, urban, and suburban public libraries to document their responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The university's research team will consider libraries' responses to the pandemic in various socioeconomic contexts, as well as identify strengths and weaknesses of those responses. The assessment will provide evidence-based information to support public libraries in developing programming and services to meet the health information needs of their users. The research team also will create training and instructional materials and a webinar to strengthen public librarians' ability to contribute to community health.