Friedsam Memorial Library during COVID-19

The Friedsam Memorial Library has been a staple to the St. Bonaventure campus since it's construction in 1938. As with everything else, however, the library was subject to major change as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic. The Friedsam Library turned into the nerve center of the St. Bonaventure digitization plan. Social distancing orders required mask wearing, and sections oif the library were sectioned off.

The online challenge that presented itself as a result of the COVID 19 pandemic proved to be a tough obstacle to overcome. The challenge was tasked to the Library and its' staff, who had to figure out how to teach staff at St, Bonaventure how to overhaul every aspect of their job into an online course. Getting teachers online and showing them how to use Moodle had to run right through the library. Caitlyn Webster, Events Coordinator at St. Bonaventure, explained that some classes were moved to the library due to its' vast size, and computer labs were converted into classrooms.

Philip Payne, Pandemic Classroom Pictures, 2020

Friedsam Memorial Library (sbu.edu)