Music Reference Services Pre-COVID-19: A Climate Survey in the Recent before Times

Abstract

1. This survey was deployed during the fall of 2019 and a significant portion of the analysis was completed in early spring 2020, before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States. The writing was completed during the summer of 2020, at a time when libraries nationwide were providing few, if any, services in person. COVID-19 had already forced libraries to reconsider reference in an online environment and most certainly will continue to actuate drastic changes to services when institutions open their physical spaces to patrons. Additional research on the impacts of the virus on music reference services is needed.