SPEAKER TO ADDRESS THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CRISES ON LIBRARIES
SPEAKER TO ADDRESS THE IMPACT OF PUBLIC HEALTH CRISES ON LIBRARIES
MARTIN, Tenn. – Dr. Jenny Bossaller, associate professor in the University of Missouri
School of Information Science and Learning Technologies, will explore the impact of public
health crises on libraries during a presentation at 1:15 p.m., Friday, Nov. 12, in UT Martin’s Paul
Meek Library. Her presentation is part of the fall conference of the Western Tennessee
Academic Library Conference but is open free of charge to the public. The event will be held in
the north reading room of the Paul Meek Library that is co-sponsoring the event along with the
Obion River Regional Library. Light refreshments will be served.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been profound and enduring, but it’s not the
first pandemic and likely will not be the last. Accounts of challenging and disruptive biological
forces such as plague, yellow fever, tuberculosis and influenza are found even in early human
records. Bossaller’s presentation draws on primary sources to explore public health practices in
libraries during past epidemics, including library closures, sanitization practices, open-air
libraries, and libraries in sanitariums. The dual lenses of public health and primary sources
provide a context to reinforce the concept of libraries as forces for the public good. The event
will also discuss some fun ways to engage people of all ages in the exploration of primary
sources.
Bossaller’s teaching and research focus broadly on public libraries, information
policy, history of libraries and information, and related social and technological phenomena.
Having worked in public and academic library settings, Bossaller is particularly interested in the
public’s access to information, and she co-developed a public library leadership program that
emphasizes community and professional immersion.
Parking for the event will be in the Paul Meek Library parking lot on Wayne Fisher Drive
off Mt. Pelia Road. Parking permits are available at www.utm.edu/departments/publicsafety by
selecting the “Online Visitor Parking Permit” link. For more information, contact Dr. Erik
Nordberg, dean of the Paul Meek Library, at 731-881-7070.