Mahmood Khosrowjerdi is a senior academic librarian (førstebibliotekar) at the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences (Rena, Norway). Mahmood has a PhD in Library and Information Science (LIS) from the Department of Archivistics, Library and Information Science at the  Oslo Metropolitan University (Norway). In his Ph.D. project, he investigated the role of national culture in trust formations of users towards online health information. 

Rena, Norway

Friday, March 27, 2020

It's 8:00 o’clock. After breakfast, my son goes to school. The school that is now just a room, and his classroom is a digital screen of an iPad. It has been about two weeks that most government agencies, including schools, universities and higher education centers in Norway, are doing teleworking. I've been lounging on the couch and staring at one of the students' emails which is a question about how to cite a translation work. My cellphone rings. Is my mom. She talks about the current unfavorable conditions in Iran, the death toll of Coronavirus, and the lack of disinfectants and masks in Iran. In the end she is very worried about Coronavirus coming to Norway and advising me to stay home and keep safe. I say goodbye to my mom and try to focus on the daily routine again. But the mom’s call makes me curious again to browse some reputable sites to see if Coronavirus incidence and mortality rates have been diminished! The casualty statistics worry me. I am not breathing normally. I’m feeling alone and isolated. I come to my wife's voice saying that we have no sunflower oil and that we must eat bread and sausage for lunch. I reply the student's email. Next, I read a chapter of an academic book. How long these days are. I am going to turn off the laptop, so I get a new email. From my boss:

Hi Mahmood!

I think of you and hope you and your family are doing well! It is not easy to be far away from your parents in such an exceptional situation. I hope that part of your family, who is not in Norway, is doing well too! I know it can be hard to be far away now.

Have a nice weekend! Anna

My boss's sympathy gives me a special euphoria. I'm feeling much better now.