Health library spaces and the COVID-19 pandemic: insights from the Australian healthcare sector

Abstract

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent stay at home orders, libraries in health services across Australia moved to virtual service models with limited or unstaffed physical libraries. This article considers the impact of the pandemic on physical library space in clinical environments. To investigate, seven interviews were conducted with library leaders from the Australian health care sector at the end of the momentous year of 2020 – as the country caught its breath following the initial waves of the virus.