Since the Corona virus outbreak occurred, public libraries, like other educational and cultural centers, were announced to be closed. Due to the continuation of the social distancing and the implementation of the health recommendations of the National Headquarters of Administrating coronavirus, public libraries continued their cultural and educational activities in cyberspace.
A total-of-190-minute film of storytelling, painting, handicrafts, and reading classes for children and adolescents, which were side activities in public libraries, was produced with the cooperation of librarians and became available via cyberspace. In this regard, the “Every librarian is a reader” campaign was held in order to promote the culture of reading and introduce books. Librarians and enthusiasts who participated in the campaign were supposed to introduce a book in a less-than-5-minute film and upload it in cyberspace with the hashtag #every_librarian_a_book_reader and tag the Public Library Foundation page (@iranpl).
The “Every house is a library” campaign was held in this regard as well. Since there are, in personal bookshelves, usually the books that have been never read, in this campaign, all people were invited to take a photograph with one of such books and send an audio or video file of a summary of what they learned from the book to the secretariat of this campaign. Literary clubs were also welcomed by users in cyberspace and provided opportunities for interaction among successful writers, poets, and enthusiasts. These days, in spite of all hardships, acted as a great maneuver.
The optimal use of capacities, which were previously less considered, is a notable achievement of these days. Formerly, the use of cyberspace was mostly for information and public relations, whereas, currently, the need to use cyberspace to provide more services is more comprehended.
Eventually, after three months, the public libraries began their activities on May 30 without the presence of the patrons, and since June 21, patrons have been accepted considering all the hygiene standards. In addition to emphasizing hygiene, the Public Libraries Foundation has informed libraries of some changes in the borrowing-returning books system and the use of library facilities.
