Digital school libraries

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) highly affected the people anywhere in the world. Iran has also been highly affected by this disease. We do not know if it is either a man-made or natural disease, which is beyond the scope of this paper. In any case, each disaster has two sides and brings both limitations and opportunities, and we must try our best to change the limitations into opportunities. In fact, living in difficult situations makes people strong and resistant and forces them to find suitable solutions. One of the opportunities COVID-19 brought for us is that it proposed another way of living: some people were ready for it, some accepted reluctantly and some must be compelled to prepare for it.  COVID-19 taught us that we can have our cultural activities in less expensive way, provided that the electronic infrastructure is ready, and the men in charge are well elected and responsible; It taught us that we must not waste our educational courses with unnecessary works; it proposed a competitor state of educational teaching seriously. It also showed us if someone does not try his/her best, his/her job would be omitted very soon in the era of calamity. With the worldwide spread of COVID-19 in Iran as well as in other countries, the IRIB TV provided teaching programs and Iranian school students began using it. If virtual services are provided, libraries can easily serve people in this situation. Now, the Iranian “Social Network of Students” (in Persian, acronymically abbreviated to “SHAD”) and another program called the “TV School of Iran” are two successful programs which are aimed to continue their services after the eradication of COVID-19 as well. In these days, libraries should also become more active, and try their best to answer the educational, cultural and social needs of people. If libraries want to compete with others in cultural and sociological activities, and if librarians do not want to be only knowledge keepers, as Millville Dewey had mentioned, they have to find new ways in competition. They have to be more active and change their way of service to people. It seems that Iran Public Libraries Foundation has to supplement the existing educational and cultural services with establishing school digital libraries. Some recommendations are as follows: Book publishing should be hybrid (it should include both print and electronic publishing); Virtual book fairs in attractive forms must be held; All people should be widely informed that their educational needs are met or can be met at low costs and librarians are be accessible anytime and anywhere as soon as possible.