Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Supporting Immigrant Information Needs When The Library Is Closed: A Case For Web-Based Newcomer Orientations, Corey J. Allender

New Librarianship Symposia Series: Fall 2021

Supporting Immigrant Information Needs When the Library is Closed: A Case for Web-Based Newcomer Orientations

In the United States, immigrant communities have been hit especially hard by the economic, occupational, and social fallout that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. With libraries, government offices, and community centers closed, immigrants were left with far fewer options to satisfy their information needs during their initial adjustment to life in the United States.

In the early states of cultural adjustment, many newcomers face anxiety-inducing barriers that discourage interaction with libraries; as such, they often rely heavily on social networks for information (Wang et al., …