Transformations and Strategic Responses of Korean Medical Libraries and the Korean Medical Library Association during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study examines how Korean medical libraries adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic and delineates the strategic contributions of the Korean Medical Library Association (KMLA) during the pandemic. Drawing on domestic and international literature, we categorized service and operational changes and related them to their effects in clinical, research, and educational settings. Physical space management was reorganized. Libraries adopted distancing, reservation-based seating, limited hours, and capacity caps. Notably, a 2020 survey found that approximately 81% of medical libraries remained open because they were located in hospitals. Library services have shifted toward electronic resources. The use of e-journals, e-books, and medical databases increased, budgets were redirected to digital content, and demand for VPNs and proxies rose. Although only 17% of member libraries posted COVID-19 information on their websites, survey responses indicate that many still provided targeted guidance, regardless of web infrastructure. Education and research support migrated online. Libraries offered web-conferenced information-literacy classes, expanded remote consultations for literature searching, citation management, and research data, and distributed short tutorial videos to help users. These formats reduce time and place barriers, especially for residents and fellows. Libraries strengthened information curation and gathered credible updates, including publisher-hosted, temporarily open COVID-19 content, and filtered them for clinicians and researchers. At the association level, the KMLA sustained interlibrary services through MEDLIS despite a long-term decline linked to the expansion of open access. It coordinated joint letters with the KCUE and KESLI (August 2021) requesting price freezes, extended payment deadlines, broader remote authentication, and relaxed concurrency limits. The KMLA also maintained online meetings through 2025, held an in-person conference in October 2025, and launched a redesigned website in March 2025 to support access, training, and member communication. The findings offer guidance for future outbreaks and rapid technological shifts. J Korean Med Libr Assoc 2025;52(1):5-11