Libraries at the time of the coronavirus pandemic. Pandemic and infodemic

Abstract

This paper summarizes the effects of the first wave of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and infodemic on the library field, based on library literature and news published during the pandemic. In addition to describing the outbreak and spread of the epidemic and its direct library-related impact in detail, the paper presents the information activities of the Hungarian Library Institute, and the trends of library services during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the basic tasks of reopening libraries. Government measures are summarized, so as to comprehensively understand and analyze the impact of these completely unexpected tasks incumbent on libraries. Digital library services, built over the years, have recently undergone a major ordeal, with most events being organized in cyberspace. Long before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, addressing the challenges of fake news was already considered a global task by libraries. Their tools include user training, objective information, and the publication of credible sources. The effects of the economic crisis caused by the epidemic are also detrimental to libraries.