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INTRODUCTION

The circumstances under which libraries carry out their missions shifted dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Library leaders adapted to rapidly changing community and institutional needs by quickly re-creating work environments, reassessing collection priorities, and reimagining community engagement activities.

OCLC Research wanted to capture library leaders’ experiences during this global event and understand what they envision for their libraries moving forward. Our two key questions were:

• How did library leaders respond to this new operational context?
• What are library leaders’ visions for libraries as a result of changing practices and environments?From April to July 2020, we conducted semi-structured interviews to gather the perspectives of 29 leaders from one national, seven public, and 21 academic libraries from 11 countries around the world. Prior to each interview, we asked library leaders to complete a survey and we gathered country and regional data related to the current status of the pandemic. We have synthesized these findings into a high-level briefing that provides insight into leaders’ plans for the future based on their experiences during the pandemic.