It's the middle of April. There should be the whisper of turning pages, the whir of the printer, the clicking of computer keys and the low throb of muted conversations. Instead, there is an overwhelming silence. We all went on spring break looking forward to a few minutes of quiet, of being able to work on a project for more than five minutes without an interruption from someone requesting assistance in scanning a page in book, in finding a much needed resource for a paper, or in figuring out how to print their presentation with six slides to a page. We were looking forward to the Monday when students would return to the library to study in groups or alone, would ask questions and hopefully find answers that informed and would bring out new questions to research. But that Monday never came. Spring break extended another week. Then classes quickly shuffled from small noisy gatherings in rooms and labs to virtual spaces spread around the globe. At first there were a few students, a couple of faculty, who would come to the library and use the computers, the printer, the scanner. They would maintain their distance and talk to us, ask questions, find a resource. But now only one or two students come, just to use the WiFi, no questions asked. COVID-19 changed the sounds and sights with which we were so familiar in our library.
Our mission, despite these outward appearances, never changed. We still desire to stimulate intellectual curiosity and to facilitate lifelong learning and research within the communities we serve at Emmanuel College. We are still serving. We are still assisting students and faculty with their research, with their quest for answers, and with their access to relevant information. We continue to facilitate lifelong learning from the dual-enrolled high school student to the oldest faculty member. We create guides and access points, we respond to emails and answer phone calls. We love, we care, we help, and we hope. And like so many who went off during spring break, we look forward with great anticipation to times of reuniting, rekindling conversations, and renewing acquaintances and friendships. A time when the quiet will not be quite so overwhelming.
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