How did you feel when you were informed the remainder of the semester would be held online?

I was happy that the university was taking this step to protect students, but also anxious about how it would work, how the library would be able to support students and faculty, and concerned about students who might not have the resources to complete classes online.

How has the virus (and the precautions taken to prevent it spreading) impacted your daily life?

Rather than coming to the campus every day, I work in my home office. I’m trying to keep my regular work schedule and routine as much as possible. There are a lot more webinars, emails, web conferences, and phone calls than my normal work routines. Using Slack to keep in touch with other library faculty and staff has also been a significant change.

How worried are you about getting the virus?

Because I stay at home and take precautions, I am not worried for myself. I am much more concerned about my 96 year-old grandfather who lives in an assisted living facility in Alabama and my Aunt who has dementia and lives in a memory care facility in Georgia. I also worry about my wife because she has asthma, making her more vulnerable to COVID-19

Do you know anyone who has gotten COVID-19?

Yes.

Are you staying in? What are you doing to pass the time?

I only go out to run errands, and I am trying to keep that to one trip per week. Even that is reduced by having groceries delivered. I feel a bit bad about that because it transfers the risk of getting sick to a worker in the gig economy. At the same time, if it reduces the risk by lowering the number of people in the store and also helps someone earn a living, it’s also a good method.

During the day I pass the time by working. In the evening and on weekends, I teach online classes, read, watch TV with my wife, and use web conferencing tools to talk to friends. I’ve also used Discord to play games with friends who live around the country. To get some exercise I reconnected my old Wii Fit and found some workout videos.

Are you going out? Where do you go and what is it like?

I’ve been doing my best to limit going into businesses by relying on curbside delivery whenever possible – restaurants, pet supply stores, and big box stores like Best Buy and Target have all started doing this, which is a good way to get out of the house while not increasing anyone’s risk. I am amazed by the large groups of people at stores, and it makes me nervous. Seeing taped out spacing for customers to maintain social distance really brings the potential danger home.

Despite new guidelines to wear masks, few people at Publix wore masks or gloves and none of the employees there did. Several employees and significant numbers of customers did not practice social distancing. In contrast, as CVS, staff wore masks and gloves and the store had carefully laid out social distancing guidelines. About half of the customers wore masks. However, and older man in a pick-up truck glared at me when i got out of my car wearing a mask to go into the store.

What is giving you hope and/or strength right now?

The ways in which people are working together to find solutions to the problems we face are a source of hope. Not only projects from universities and libraries to make PPE for healthcare workers using 3D printing, but people sharing resources like splitting packages with strangers they meet at stores. The ways in which teachers, faculty, and librarians to help students at all levels continue their education bring me hop due to the obvious problem solving involved.

Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about what you’re feeling or experiencing right now?

I feel more concern, anxiety, and anger than hope right now because I see so much failure at all levels of government to prepare for the pandemic for the first three months of the year. The foot-dragging in getting resources to health professionals is mind-boggling. In the richest country in the world, we have doctors and nurses relying on trash bags and ponchos from sports teams because they don’t have proper garments. Hospital administrators have threatened doctors and nurses who wear masks and gloves because they worry more about public image than the safety of staff or patients. Reports today indicate that face masks from the national strategic supply arrived in Montgomery rotted because they were not stored properly.