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CHICAGO – Newly published research study from the American Association of School Librarians’ (AASL) peer-reviewed online journal, School Library Research (SLR), used interview-based methodology to examine the shifting responsibilities and duties of school librarians within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Articles can be accessed for free at .

In the recently published “The Evolving Roles of School Librarians during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Phenomenological Study,” Kay Elizabeth Wright, Olga Koz, and Julie Moore present a study examining the ways that school librarians and librarianship shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly during periods of virtual learning. The researchers collected data via interview and strived to examine how the responsibilities of school librarians grew, changed, or strained during a virtual learning environment.

The research team conducted interviews that illuminated the stories of school librarians during the COVID-19 pandemic and examined the concept of the pandemic as an antagonist to the role of librarians. The researchers noted that the “results of this study support the idea that the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 can serve as a demarcation line in K–12 research,” and recommend that “future researchers in K–12 school librarianship will need to differentiate which side of the demarcation line is referenced regarding studies on professional roles, student achievement data, and/or experience. As school librarians must consider how to evolve their role to establish relevancy within emerging settings such as the K– 12 remote-synchronous learning environment, this capacity for an embedded role is present and offers a natural evolution.”

School Library Research (ISSN: 2165-1019) is the successor to School Library Media Research (ISSN: 1523-4320) and School Library Media Quarterly Online. The journal is peer-reviewed and indexed by H. W. Wilson's Library Literature and by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Information & Technology. It welcomes manuscripts that focus on high-quality original research concerning the management, implementation, and evaluation of school libraries.

The American Association of School Librarians, , a division of the 91´«Ã½ (91´«Ã½), empowers leaders to transform teaching and learning.