Information Services of Academic Libraries in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina during The Covid-19 Pandemic

The global pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus has significantly affected library processes and procedures in academic libraries worldwide, and the aim of this study is to determine how public academic libraries in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FB&H) have adapted and/or redefined their library and information services to pandemic circumstances. For the purposes of collecting such data, only librarians of those public academic libraries who have contact information (e-mail) displayed on the faculty / academy / university website were surveyed. The research itself, which is of a quantitative nature, was realized by using a survey questionnaire, which was created on Google Forms, in June 2021. Out of a total of 47 mapped libraries, 26 academic libraries participated in the survey (response rate of 55.3%). This research paper, which is first of its kind in Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, brings approaches of academic libraries which, unlike academic libraries from developed European countries, operate in very specific circumstances which are primarily characterized by limited and insufficient budgets for procurement of collections but also basic IT equipment. Results showed that despite the found inadequate elementary working conditions, academic librarians made certain efforts aimed towards meeting the information needs of library users during the world health crisis, but also that the pandemic emphasized the urgent need for digital transformation of surveyed academic libraries.