Re-opening: What to Expect

As you know, our library has been closed since mid-March, and we have missed you all so much! Over the last few months, our staff has worked hard to continue providing exceptional service in new ways. Our curbside pickup services began on May 1st and have been running smoothly.

We are looking forward to Stage 3 of our re-opening plan, which includes opening the library doors for our patrons (that’s YOU!) for limited services. You may be wondering what we mean by “limited services,” and we don’t blame you! Re-opening looks different for each organization and business, and the library is no exception. So, in this week’s blog post, I will try to clarify what library services will look like from June 1 to 14.

Library Entry:

For Stage 3, the number of people in the library at any given time will be limited to 50 or less. In order to accomplish this, we have to limit our services and will be encouraging our users to conduct their business in the library quickly so that others may have access as well.

Computers:

While our computers will be available for public use, there will be a few changes. The number of computers available will drop so that we can comply with social distancing guidelines (6 feet apart). And because we know many of you will need to use our computer services, we will be asking users to register ahead of time and limit their computer use to 1 hour per day. Computers in the children’s room will not be available.

Library Materials:

To comply with cleaning protocols, our shelves will be closed to browsing. We are encouraging our users to reserve items for pick up or ask library staff to pull items from the shelf.

In addition, our entire children’s department will be closed. But Miss Fiona and Miss Ellie (along with other library staff) will be available to pull books and movies from the kids’ section for you. A staff member will be stationed at the counter by the children’s room, ready to help.

Unfortunately, we will also have to close magazine and newspaper browsing for Stage 3. Library staff can pull magazines for check out, but we are discouraging our users from hanging out in the library to read and/or browse. A limited number of Idaho Press-Tribune papers will be available for free each day. Other newspapers will be unavailable until at least Stage 4.

We understand that this will be a big change, and we appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we try to re-open slowly and safely.

Programs:

Throughout the summer, our programs will be limited. Children’s and teen’s programs will run from June 8 through July 17, Monday through Friday, in a virtual environment. We encourage you to tune in from home!

Adult programs will be minimal, so our staff can focus on serving the greater needs of our community members. Tai Chi will begin again on Friday, June 5th at 10 am in Serenity Park (across from the library) and will continue in the park on Fridays throughout the summer. (Note: start time may change depending on the weather.)

We will also have an all-ages virtual book discussion on the second Thursday of each month at 2 pm. Stay tuned for more details!

Summer Reading:

We have received a lot of questions about summer reading, and I’m sure you’re all wondering what it’s going to look like this year. Well, the wait is almost over! Summer Reading will be conducted in a primarily virtual environment this year – through ReadSquared. This is the same software we have been using for our reading programs since last winter. Printed forms will be available for those without computer access at home.

The timeline for summer reading will look a bit different this year as well. Instead of June 1 through July 31, the program will run from June 15 through August 14. We will still have prizes, but they will be limited this year – instead of level prizes, participants will receive a prize at the half-way point and at the end. There will also be a handful of grand prizes for the annual end-of-Summer-Reading raffle. Age groups will be similar to previous years, but this year, we’re asking you to set your own reading goals!

You may have more questions, and, I promise, more details are coming! Stay tuned to our website and Facebook page for more information.

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Finally, we want to ask for your continued patience as we navigate re-opening during this difficult time. We know there have been a lot of changes, but we hope that with the right protective measures, we will be able to return to a semblance of normalcy soon.

And, as always, if you have questions or concerns, you can reach out to us by phone (208-459-3242) or email (infolibrary@cityofcaldwell.org).