“We Are All Distance Learners Now”: How Distance Learning Informed a Library Team’s Response to the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract This article explores the response of the Science and Engineering Library team at Manchester Metropolitan University to the Covid-19 pandemic. It examines how the team’s experience supporting distance-learning programmes acted as both a dress rehearsal and a road map for Library provision during the pandemic. In particular, the changing role of staff members whilst operating in the Covid-19 setting is carefully reflected upon. The article is structured into three sections, discussing support for distance-learning programmes, distance learning and Covid-19, and the changes Covid-19 prompted within the team’s operation.


Introduction
Coronavirus has caused extensive disruption to the global economy and services. Universities have not been exempted from these issues, including the physical shutdown of university buildings and teaching moving online (Morriello, 2020). Therefore, online access to library resources became essential for students and academics. Traditional face-to-face librarianship was impossible and in effect all students, researchers and staff members became distance learners or responsible for distance-learning programmes. This article describes how a library faculty team drew upon experience of librarianship for distance learners to inform its responses to the Covid-19 pandemic and will cover three major themes: support for distance-learning programmes before Covid-19; the pivot to distance learning from March 2020 onwards; and reflections on the Covid-19 distance-learning experience and how it altered the roles within the team. Throughout, we will draw the distinction between students enrolled on distance-learning programmes and those enrolled in traditional face-to-face classes. The students who would normally be enrolled in face-to-face classes will be referred to as Covid-19 learners within the article.
Both authors work within the Science and Engineering Library team at All Saints Campus -Manchester Metropolitan University's only campus. The team consist of 5 members providing comprehensive library support to the faculty's 5,500 students and over 200 academics through teaching sessions, academic liaison, and collection management. Alex Wheeler is the Subject Librarian for Chemistry, and Sport and Exercise Science and Voula Kyprianou-Chavda is the Senior Library Assistant (SLA) embedded within the faculty team. Alex is responsible for providing library support to two undergraduate distance-learning courses and Voula is responsible for providing teaching and administrative support. Albeit there is some limited face-to-face engagement, the two courses are remote and online. The first is BSc (Hons) Chemical Science which recruits students directly from the Chemical Industry. The second is BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise which recruits sportspeople from professional clubs and the military. As such, both intakes have high standards and demanding schedules. The Sport Subject Librarian also supports a Sports Coaching Undergraduate course run jointly by Manchester Metropolitan University and Manchester City Football Club. Students are based at the Etihad Stadium and travel to Manchester Metropolitan's All Saints Campus (a distance of five miles) relatively infrequently. As such, resourcing their reading lists and delivering study skills sessions is more like supporting the purely distance-learning courses than the traditional on-campus courses.

Support for distance programmes before Covid-19
The team's distance-learning teaching fits within the wider context of active learning pedagogies (Maina et al., 2016), delivering interactive and experiential learning (Gibbs, 1988) within structured, teacher-led sessions. They encourage interaction, for example during Question & Answer and activity sessions, and experimentation, for example of EndNote and referencing tools within Word documents. The methods enable students to take responsibility for their learning under the librarian's guidance. The approach can be located within distance-learning settings, particularly during Covid-19, reflecting Schneider and Council (2020) "dramatic shift" in education and wider pedagogical practice. Much like other educational settings, the team responded to the shifting teaching landscape by focusing on online instruction (Goad et al., 2021). Mehrotra et al. (2001) refer to distance learning as "deliver[ing] educational content directly to students' homes" (p.3). They note that interaction between teacher and student, as well as among students themselves "can now be synchronous (occurring simultaneously) or asynchronous (occurring at different times), with the latter providing additional flexibility in students' and instructors' schedules […] Web-based courses could be taken anywhere an Internet connection existed and any time of the day or night" (p.3). The paradigm largely entails access and use of online resources (Desai et al., 2008) and liaising with academics to do so. As was noted by Laverty and Stockley (2006), collaboration between distance-learning librarians and academics "provides a fertile learning experience that encourages both the creative and effective use of resources" (p.54). The team work closely with the academic department to address gaps in student information literacy that are identified by academics. The team's close relationship with the Chemistry and Sport Department and its experience with distance-learning programmes means that they are skilled in managing the challenges that accompany working with online programmes.
Drawing on academic scholarship and Harvard University's (n.d) best practice guidance when curating resources to support distance-learning programmes, the team created resources with a focus on synchronous sessions and asynchronous video content. From the 2017-2018 academic year onwards, Chemistry librarians have run a synchronous online session covering literature searching and EndNote for first year undergraduates. Before the pandemic, the team also ran face-to-face sessions for students on the distance-learning programmes as part of their annual induction. Also, distance learners had to attend a number of sessions at the All Saints Campus over a three-day period (internally described as the residential programme). The sessions were run by the library and covered topics such as referencing, academic databases awareness, and evaluation of scientific resources.
Online sessions on literature searching were also embedded within specific modules and explicitly linked to summative assessments. The team's wider experience further influenced the structure and delivery of these sessions in other ways. For example, teaching was supported by accompanying worksheets circulated in advance of the sessions. Additionally, the team completed full dress rehearsals for online sessions and ensured the presence of at least two presenters at distance-learning webinars for back-up purposes.
Content videos (asynchronous learning) have increasingly supported online sessions (synchronous teaching) in distance-learning courses. Some of the content that we have created for distance-learning courses includes brief bespoke videos; for example, on Boolean searching and introduction to subject databases. A key initiative was the creation of a set of asynchronous instructional videos for first-year undergraduates on the BSc (Hons) Chemical Science distance programme, covering use of library search, phrase searching, Boolean language and key databases in individual five-minute videos. It became standard practice to pre-record sessions (and upload them) as a video playlist. The purpose behind this initiative was simple. It was an acknowledgment that some students on distance-learning programmes were not able to attend live sessions and required personalized resources for independent learning (University of Louisiana at Lafayette, n.d.). Rather than only providing a recording of a session, we offered a tailored option, with multiple playlists which allowed students to choose their areas of interest, including those who could not attend live webinars.
When creating asynchronous resources for distance-learning programmes, making a connection with the students was imperative, as was clear communication (Corry et al., 2014, p. 55). As such, each video began with a standard introductory phrase introducing the librarian and specifically naming the module as a mark of consistency throughout our content. We created these videos with captions for accessibility purposes and (re)made videos, which included directly relevant examples depending on the cohort, such as demonstrations of the Royal Society of Chemistry Database for Chemical Science students. This initiative may strike some as duplication of effort, but it was a clear attempt to create a personalized learning environment and build a relationship directly with a specific cohort.
A further key aspect of working closely with distance learners in a library context was emphasizing channels of communication. The team were at pains to emphasize that library support was available for distance students via email, phone or video calls, as well as the chat box during online sessions. Corry et al. (2014) point out that "teacher flexibility, clear communication, relationship building, and personalized learning" (p.600) are the cornerstones of good distance-learning practice. Our focus on clear communication also informed our planning for online sessions. First, we circulated activity handouts to academics and embedded them in Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) areas in advance of online sessions to accommodate students who were unable to attend the session. Second, these resources were specifically referred to in the session and their position on the VLE page highlighted. Third, the team always carefully planned seminars to include points from the activities worksheets where librarians could interact with students using chat box functions.
The team looked toward the library's wider subscriptions for the curation of specific resources for distance learners. For example, an initiative that began with distance-learning programme support was the curation of playlists on the on-demand television service Box of Broadcasts, where UK university staff and students can record programmes from the freeto-air channels broadcast in the UK and search an online archive of broadcasts (Learning on Screen, n.d.). The team created various playlists such as the Manchester Metropolitan University: Sport Psychology Playlist. Academics used these playlists on distance-learning programmes for flipped learning activities, embedding them in VLE areas and adding them to reading lists. Other resources specifically designed for distance learners included individually tailored VLE areas (including key links, videos and contact information) and reading lists that conformed to internal best practice guidance (Manchester Metropolitan University, n.d.). The team also managed specific activities for distance learners, for instance by using web-based scavenger hunts (see Appendix 1) as an induction activity for Sport Science programmes. Additionally, it worked with the wider library department to provide full access to research guides, inter-library loans services and recommended database lists, ensuring distance learners continue to benefit from vital library services during the pandemic.
The experience working with academics running distance-learning programmes and preparing resources for distance learners directly informed the team's response to Covid-19, as these practices have been adopted and expanded during the Covid-19 courses. Close collaboration between faculty and library has deepened during the pandemic, whilst such practices have been used and adapted for wider use.

The initial shift to Covid-19 learning: March 2020
Previous work on resource creation informed the immediate response to the first lockdown. Having readily available video templates and expertise allowed a response within 24 hours of the first major shut down in March 2020. On our own initiative, the team was able to create specific VLE areas for five separate Sport Science programmes, two individual Chemistry programmes, one Biology programme, all of which had been face-to-face classes. This mainly took the form of curated documents highlighting resources for cohorts and 'how to' videos promoting key databases and techniques. In effect, Covid-19 provided an opportunity to use librarybased content that had been developed for distance-learning courses and apply it to a growing student audience that had not been previously familiar with the principles of distance learning. It was also an opportunity to test the use of curated playlists of brief videos on a wider scale and reflect on our role as library staff in this new learning environment.

Restrictions embedded: April 2020 onwards
Science and Engineering students enrolled to face-to-face courses moved to online teaching in March 2020 and returned to campus only for a limited number of lectures and laboratory sessions from September 2020. Librarians have not conducted any face-to-face teaching since March 2020, delivering only online sessions. As a next step, the team's focus turned toward supporting access to library online resources. It is worth emphasizing that we were unsure of how long we would be working away from campus. Having established a close relationship with academics within the Science and Engineering faculty at Manchester Metropolitan University and with lockdown acting as the necessity that prompts innovation, the focus of librarian and academic discussion became the "creative and effective use of resources" (Laverty & Stockley, 2006, p. 53). In this context, the resources that were suited to this transition were resources that had already been developed for distance-learning programmes.
Working at a distance also provided some opportunities for the Science and Engineering Library team to become even further integrated within several programmes between April 2020 and the time of writing. For example, we became actively involved with additional modules such as Communication and Research Skills -a research module for the Chemical Sciences programme. The Science and Engineering Library team run sessions on literature searching, Royal Society of Chemistry Referencing and EndNote for this module. We also ran research sessions for Sport Science and Life Sciences students. As dissertation projects shifted from fieldwork to desk-based research and reviews, the team was available for drop-in sessions concerning literature searching. Our distance-learning experience influenced our response in several ways. First, the sessions always had at least two presenters. Second, we followed distance-learning practice by pre-circulating online resources to participants. Third, dress rehearsals were a key aspect of our session preparations. Fourth, as face-to-face contact became impossible, the team altered its in-session engagement pattern with students, with chat box functions in webinars assuming greater importance. Incorporating specifically designed tasks, such as keyword mining, based around the chat function within Microsoft Teams (or Adobe Connect) helped broadening student engagement.
An initiative that began with distance learners and was later embraced by Covid-19 learners and their academics when restrictions became more established, was curated Box of Broadcast playlists. As independent online learning became widely used within the Covid-19 programmes, several course leaders requested audio-visual playlists containing relevant films or documentaries for their courses (see Table 1). These playlists were incorporated within both Reading lists (using the Talis Aspire Reading list system) and VLE areas for several modules.
As the restrictions continued into August 2020, other aspects of distance-learning support became relevant for the Covid-19 courses; in particular, the period welcoming students for the 2020/2021 academic year. During September and October 2020, the team ran twenty-seven online induction sessions for 1816 new and returning students and successfully integrated practices that were developed working with distance-learning programmes into several sessions. We also created summary playlists to accompany live webinars, which were also recorded. These video playlists covered the same content as the webinar and were designed to be a resource that students on specific modules could dip into as needed, rather than (re)watching a whole webinar recording.
The activities within induction sessions also originated in distance-learning resources. For example, the team used online scavenger hunts whilst inducting distance learners in Autumn 2019. With the shift to Covid-19 learning the team used online scavenger hunts as induction activities for Covid-19 learners in September 2020. With the shift toward predominantly online teaching, access to online resources, and confidence in their use, assumed a greater importance. The incorporation of web-based scavenger hunts was particularly successful for Sport and Exercise Science where students required a rapid introduction to subject databases, such as SportDiscus, and ebooks. It was also possible to introduce a competitive element to these online activities, which worked very well with cohorts of sportspeople. Indeed, the student attendance rate for the induction activities of this cohort stood at 83%.
Pre-Covid-19 students took several modules concurrently over the course of an academic year. During the pandemic, Manchester Metropolitan University has shifted to a block teaching approach where one class is taught at a time to a single study group. As a result, academic teaching came under increased time pressure. After consultation with academics running specialized dissertation pathways, the team created a playlist of videos essential for individual dissertation projects. This practice originated with the release (by a librarian) of tailored playlists over several weeks (often in the run up to a distance-learning course) to support online teaching. In this case, the Chemistry librarian created a playlist of eight individual videos covering the content that would usually be delivered in a library dissertation support session. The team designed the videos to act as stand-alone resources and to work as part of an instructional playlist. Upon the request of the course leader, the team delivered library induction for the Sport and Exercise Science MSc programme as a video playlist. The team also created other bespoke videos covering literature searching and reading list navigation for Sport Psychology and Life Science students respectively. These initiatives required effective communication networks to personalize video design and creation.

Reflection on the Covid-19 distance learning experience
Drawing on Gibbs (1988) reflective cycle, the team can reflect on its Covid-19 experience in every area of its operation. Based on Gibbs' model, the reflection process refers to the ability to transfer insights gained from one experience to another. It acknowledges the importance of emotions in the process of observation and discussions between the two team members, as well as the role of the evaluation phase in including both positive and negative aspects of the experience. The model of reflection also enables a more analytical view of the experience, bringing in knowledge from current studies on academic libraries' emerging landscapes during Covid-19. Using distance learning as the indicative viewpoint, it centers upon access to online content, the changing roles of support staff and considerations about student engagement in online learning settings as key areas for reflection. The distance-learning experience has underlined the importance of streamlined access to online content, as the programs heavily relied on full availability of study material. In practice, this meant raising awareness about, and encouraging use of reading lists. It is our practice to design reading lists that facilitate locating and accessing resources by providing annotations, headed sections, prioritized material and digestible resources (Siddall, 2016).
The distance-learning experience has shown that these practices alone were not enough. Those on distance-learning courses required full engagement with various online discovery platforms and robust literature-searching skills to find quality sources. As print resources became unavailable during the first lockdown and online resources remained the main study material post-lockdown, we applied this principle to all Covid-19 courses. We aimed at engaging students with scholarly material from reading lists and other search engines, such as the Library Search tool and subject databases that require diverse discovery strategies. We attempted to do so by diversifying hands-on activities and adding interactive content from Q&As.
A key point for reflection is that the shift to distance learning widened the role of librarians and support staff. Raaper and Brown (2020) noted that Covid-19 was both "destructive and productive" and a way to explore this observation is by reflecting on the role of support staff and their work within online sessions (p. 343). The SLA's role in the online classroom revolved around facilitating activities on using discovery platforms for academic literature searching. Activities proved essential for student engagement in online learning settings where face-to-face interaction was not possible. Certainly, the practice of circulating resources ahead of sessions made it easier to manage expectations within the Microsoft Teams or Adobe Connect environment. Students were thus expected to participate in activities and have a more active and self-directed learning experience. Customized activities aimed at increasing student engagement, as students could associate them with their own work. For instance, students were asked to use databases to find keywords and search results related to their own projects. The articulation of these issues indicates both the applicability of distance-learning resources within the Covid-19 learning environment and the need for the analytical insight, provided in this case by the team's SLA.
The SLA took the lead in using the chat box tool to support online activities and further student engagement. Additionally, it became the SLA's responsibility to respond to students' increasing personal attention needs. This is perhaps due to awareness of time limitations to seek advice in online classes or to a lack of personal space and time that traditional teaching offers, particularly after the end of sessions. During distance-learning sessions, we found that the online chat box had become the space where students looked for assistance, sometimes distracting from the session itself. To avoid overwhelming activity on the chat box, additional channels of communication were emphasized such as referring to the subject librarian's email availability. The chat activity was crucial in tracking and referring unanswered queries to the subject librarian at the end of the session, offering insights into common enquiries and into ways of talking through these issues. The team also amended sessions based on an analysis of these questions and comments, particularly EndNote sessions by drawing further attention to downloading the Cite While You Write toolbar.
To gain a better understanding of the changing role, it is interesting to look at the SLA's first-person reflection: I have occasionally felt that a query was beyond my knowledge of the session and forwarded it to the subject librarian at the end of the session. I gained confidence from working together with the subject librarian and from observing how such queries have been handled. For example, a frequent query on how to insert references automatically while using a Word document had brought into my attention the difficulty in finding and downloading the Cite While You Write tool. Working with the subject librarian on this enhanced familiarity with navigating through EndNote. The distance-learning experience has given me insight into real time learning situations. I viewed the experience as an on-the-job training opportunity. Looking back, I feel that it was the beginning of a process of adaptation into the shifting online learning landscape, motivating further involvement in the online sessions.
This reflection indicates how the demands of Covid-19 and the shift to distance-learning prompted changes to staff responsibilities. The literature relating to the professional relationship between Librarians and support staff has touched upon the importance of continual professional development (Bamidele et al., 2013). Indeed, their key observation is that the "training of library assistants will enhance efficient service delivery, adequate user satisfaction, increased productivity, and improved quality of work" (p.8).
Our experience with distance-learning support confirms this statement and raises the following points: first, the close collaboration between librarians and support staff increased our efficacy in delivering distance-learning sessions and support to Covid-19 learners. This collaboration emanating from the team's previous experience allowed the scheduling of multiple librarian-led sessions, as support was available from both, other librarians and support staff. Second, collaboration between the librarian and support staff member improved the quality of delivery (from a presenter's perspective) because we were able to share thoughts on our presenting practices and adapt our delivery accordingly. It was particularly valuable to incorporate observations from the non-presenting member of the team because of their additional perspective. Martzoukou (2021) explores the evolving role of librarians in online teaching during the pandemic, outlining arising challenges such as preparing students to embrace the principles of online learning, implementing online teaching practices on a massive scale, training staff to use ICT tools for teaching, transitioning from face-to-face to online interactions and engagement with online material. However, the analysis does not include the role of support staff in these practices. Bamidele et al. (2013) highlight the significance of upskilling support staff in using online resource technologies, but the study does not explore these roles, nor does it discuss the relationship of the two within online teaching environments. Indeed, the observations about the changing nature of roles during Covid-19 is not an isolated phenomenon. For example, a Forbes online article Arruda (2020) stressed that 'learning is now front and center, and many organizations realize that upskilling and right-skilling are essential for innovation and strategic advantage' during the pandemic. In line with this observation, a clear acknowledgment and audit of the changes that Covid-19 has had upon our staffing and working practices will be of value.
Yet, a key question remains whether every student can make the most out of the online sessions, video playlists and other hallmarks of distance-learning support. Distance learners are familiar with online teaching; they have embraced fast-paced teaching environments. They are often skilled at prioritizing and juggling competing demands such as work and study. Students who have become distance learners because of Covid-19 are a more diverse audience with varied levels of preparedness to these changes.
Students enrolled upon Science and Engineering courses tend to be more familiar with teaching settings that incorporate lab-based classes and specialist facilities such as biomechanics labs. Therefore, it is open to debate whether students accustomed to teaching that is more practical will get as much out of the online sessions as students who intentionally enroll on distance-learning programmes. An increasing number of courses at Manchester Metropolitan University are blending lab-based and online teaching, incorporating distance learning and limited on-campus activity. These changes offer an opportunity to test our practice for Science and Engineering students and the expanded role of library staff members. the National Student Survey (NSS) results for 2020/2021 academic year, (expected to be published in March 2022) will add to this test. The NSS gathers students' opinions from around 500,000 participants on course quality, including library services. Students answer to the statement 'The library resources, online services and learning spaces have supported my learning well' , using the scale from 'Definitely Agree' to Definitely Disagree' . The survey will inform our evaluation of our overall success in managing the transition to Covid-19 distance learning and (hopefully) our transition back to face-to-face library instruction. Additionally, feedback from academic staff has been considered in our evaluation process (see Appendix 2). We plan for online support, activities, and webinars to continue as a key aspect of our offer to academics as we transition away from a Covid-19 delivery model.

Conclusion
Working with distance-learning programmes, even though we did not know it at the time, acted as both a dress rehearsal and a road map for the team's response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Preexisting practice, for instance online session design, was vital in adapting to the new teaching environment. But the success was accidental in terms of seizing an opportunity to broaden and diversify such practices that was non-existent prior to Covid-19 and thus unplannable in advance. This article has discussed the work of the Science and Engineering Library team at Manchester Metropolitan University with distance-learning programmes, delving into experiences that informed teaching practices when all courses shifted to online teaching. It has reflected on the evolving roles of the team during this process, examining the challenges and opportunities arising from these changes. Support for distance learners was defined by librarian attempts to ensure seamless accessibility to study material, requiring extensive student engagement with online reading list tools and information-discovery platforms. It enabled further integration of the library's information-literacy sessions into academic programmes to meet increasing student needs and interests regarding literature searching when studying remotely. This process also strengthened the relationship between the library and academic departments. The team had to understand the priorities of the academics running these courses and ensure that the sessions met student needs.
Distance-learning courses have often entailed asynchronous teaching as part of the teaching process. Asynchronous teaching offers a degree of flexibility regarding revisiting material and studying at a student's own pace. As teaching moved online, prerecorded videos have also been used as an alternative. Online teaching during lockdown has thus created the space to further experiment with the synchronous and asynchronous mix and rethink what library staff should be present for and what their role has become when presenting live content.
The synchronous and asynchronous approaches centered upon creating a personalized learning environment. The article has drawn on the distance-learning experience of combining tailored videos for different modules and live online activities that are customized. It has discussed the issue of student attentiveness in online teaching settings and highlighted the role of the distance-learning experience in providing insights into managing and communicating expectations for online courses.
This paper recognizes the positive impact of the distance-learning programmes in developing the team's response to Covid-19 teaching requirements. The article has reflected on the SLA'S duties in distance-learning courses and the weight of these responsibilities in the delivery of Covid-19 courses, including the ongoing challenges that derive from a more diverse audience when all courses transitioned to distance learning. The example of the Science and Engineering Library team during Covid-19 has enabled the SLA to further personal involvement in online classes and a degree of support experimentation, particularly in the activity sessions. It can be used as an example for academic libraries to create structured, guided learning environments that create a hands-on experience for support staff.
The team's quick response to the changing learning environments put the 'on-the-job training' approach into test, demonstrating ways of investing in job progression for support staff and the benefits of doing so in terms of creating a more flexible and agile workforce for libraries. Future areas for research will include the blending teaching processes in a library context and an investigation of best practice in line with feedback from sources such as the National Student Survey.