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Photo Essay: Libraries Staff Convert their Homes into their own “Remote Libraries”

April 7, 2020

Like their colleagues at Drexel, as well as millions of others around the world, Drexel Libraries staff very abruptly found themselves adapting to (and in many cases creating) completely new work environments in their homes.  

These self-portraits of Drexel Libraries staff show just a few of the ways in which we are turning our homes into “remote libraries” so we can provide the same services and resources from off campus. 

A man and a cat sitting on a bed with a laptop
Jeremy Elias, Assistant II, Client Access Experiences, and Capt’n work at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 

 

A cat looking at a laptop screen
Luna the cat keeps an eye on Lydia Smith, Specialist I, Client Access Experiences, now that she is working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Libraries staff are answering questions and providing support through live chat sessions and remote consultations.
 

 

A woman sits at her laptop while a cat watches
Rachel Weidner, Administrative Coordinator, stands at a makeshift standing desk in her home in Philadelphia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mephisto stays close by to keep an eye on things.


A desk and an armchair
“The biggest advantage to working from home is sitting next to open windows instead of in a basement – and this is the best time of year to not be working in a basement. The biggest disadvantage is noise: neighbors playing music, roommates talking on the phone, the neighbor’s yappy dog.” -- Simon Ragovin, Archives Technician, on his office upgrade during the COVID-19 pandemic.


A laptop and papers on a dining room table with chairs
Danuta A. Nitecki, Dean of Libraries, made her dining room “workplace familiar” by setting up her office laptop and her water cup to remind her to hydrate.


A cat sits on a table with a laptop
Bleach the cat perches on John Wiggins’ (Director, Services & Quality Improvement) home workstation during the COVID-19 pandemic.


A woman with 2 dogs sitting at a desk
Communications Manager Stacy Stanislaw and her new “assistants,” Georgia (front) and Chase Mutley (sofa), work from a card table set up in her home in Philadelphia during the COVID-19 pandemic.


A woman works at a desk with a laptop
Janice Masud-Paul, Health Sciences Librarian, works from her new home office during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  

A dog sitting next to a woman with a laptop
Mel Bradley, Technician II for Resource Sharing, and her new “coworker” Guinness have set up a cozy workspace in the living room during the COVID-19 pandemic.


A man sits on a computer chair with a laptop
The Libraries Specialist for Library Integrated Technology Systems, Javier Arroyo, works from his home office during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 

A laptop on a table next to a window
Sharon Brubaker, Technician III for Acquisitions, created an office space in her kitchen nook during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 

A laptop and a cat on a desk next to a window
Sam Kirk, Manager for Curricula Support, found a sunny spot to set up her home office.