From the Director’s Desk: Welcome to the New Normal
Download a copy of this 8/28/2020 Letter from the Director
As we move into the Fall, I wanted to recap how far we have come since March. As you can see from our phases of reopening graphic we are almost back to normal. I feel that, aside from a few tweaks, this is essentially where we will be for the foreseeable future.
On the plus side, the staff and I have learned so much about how to provide services in a manner that is safe for both the public and the library staff, that even if the pandemic worsens dramatically here, we should never have to return to Red or even Orange.
There are also many very positive things that have come out of this experience. We experimented with all sorts of new services. Many are things we have wanted to add and necessity accelerated the timeline.
- We now have software to handle online registration for our Summer Reading Program (Beanstack). This program is scalable to all sorts of other library activities and makes tracking reading logs, raffles and prizes a snap.
- We are now all experts at online meeting platforms, which will allow us to provide programming not just during a pandemic but in other situations as well, like bad weather or to make speakers available to a larger audience, etc.
- We’ve added an Ask a Librarian webchat function to our website the gives our community another way to interact with our staff, which may be more convenient for some.
- The Children’s staff introduced “Mystery Bags”. These have become so popular that we have expanded the service to all our patrons and created an online form to request a bag. For those who are unfamiliar, you can fill out the form or call the library, let us know what your interests are and any other pertinent information, and we will pick out books, movies or other materials for you to check out and pick up here. We will do the browsing for you.
- We will be adding more picnic tables to the library grounds to provide space for people to use devices, have a quick meeting, do homework or just enjoy a few moments on a nice day. Our Wifi is accessible from the parking lot and around the building, with the password posted on our doors.
The Children’s staff is working closely with parent groups as school is reopening to be sure we are doing everything we can do to make this very unusual school year easier.
As a director, I am in awe of how my staff has been able to pivot and think outside the box to bring essential services to our community.
While we are all looking forward to the day we can open our doors wide and without restrictions, we are very happy to be able to welcome members of our community back to the library, even in these altered conditions. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us if there is something you need. We’ll try our best to find a way to get it done.
Sylvie Brikiatis
Nesmith Library Director
A brief summary of our current services: View our Phased Reopening page for full details.
Express Library Services available Monday – Saturday 10 AM - 1 PM
Computer appointments available Monday – Saturday. Call for appointments
Curbside Borrowing available Monday – Thursday 10 AM - 7 PM, Friday 10 AM - 4 PM, Saturday 10 AM - 3 PM
Previous communications:
Download a copy of the 6/5/2020 Letter from the Director
Download a copy of the 4/17/2020 Letter from the Director
Download a copy of the 3/24/2020 Letter from the Director
Download a copy of the 3/16/2020 Letter to the Public