Welcome Back to the Library, We've Got Your Safety in Mind
No need to be alarmed about the altered state of your libraries when they reopen at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, May 26. The bookshelves and rows of DVDs and CDs will still be full and ready for browsing and checkout, but furniture will be sparse.
There will be footprints and arrows taped to the floor where physical distancing and lines should form.
There will be limits on the number of people in the buildings, in restrooms, and at tables. And a two-hour limit on your visits.
These are no ordinary libraries. These are libraries on heightened alert for your safety. Following health and city recommendations, staff members are taking multiple steps to minimize the spread of COVID-19. We also ask you to return all items to outdoor book bins – not at checkout desks or drive-up windows -- so we can quarantine and clean them before reshelving them.
Once you get past the changes, we hope you’ll see the smiling faces of library staffers who are eager to help you negotiate this new world, or just find the book you want.
Children may be disappointed by the lack of toys and computers, or confused at seeing their favorite librarians wearing face masks. The youth services staff created a slide show to gently show what to expect, and will post it on the library’s YouTube page, SpringfieldGreene, and Facebook, @thelibrary.org, this week. It just might help adults, too.
We’ve adjusted all branch hours through Aug. 31: 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday, closed Sunday. Drive-through window service is 7:30 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Outdoor book returns will open 24 hours daily. For now, the Park Central and Fair Grove branches will provide only walk-up service for holds.
In-person programs and meeting room use through the summer are canceled, but thelibrary.org/programs, and summer Bookends, will detail a variety of upcoming virtual programs for families and adults.
During the long closure, you may have enjoyed using the library’s online research and entertainment for the first time. But we hope you’ll also drop by, sometime soon, to say “Hello.”
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