Libraries Checking Out New Ways To Serve Patrons

Gov. Kim Reynolds has given her blessing to Iowa’s more than 500 public libraries to re-open with social distancing guidelines in place but many, like those in Mills County, remain closed to the public.

In May, the governor began lifting restrictions she placed on businesses and public facilities to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. The new guidelines allowed many to operate at 50 percent of maximum occupancy and implemented measures to ensure social distancing of employees and patrons while increasing hygiene practices.

However, just one – the Silver City Public Library – of Mills County’s five public libraries has re-opened its doors to the public.

Silver City opened to the public Monday with social distancing guidelines in place, according to Valerie Garner, library director. The library is allowing only five patrons in at a time and masks must be worn. Books that are checked out and returned will be wiped down and quarantined. The library is also closing a half-hour earlier each night for cleaning.

The libraries in Glenwood, Malvern, Tabor and Emerson remain closed. The Tabor Public is the lone facility with even a tentative date for when they might re-open their doors, let alone resume a normal program or activities schedule.
Tabor is targeting a June 15 re-opening of its doors to patrons. The details of what hours they will be open and how social distancing will be handled are still being worked out.

Dawn Miller, director of the Tabor Public Library, said they are waiting for a determination of the Iowa State Fire Marshal on what 50 percent occupancy would look like but she guesses, with the limited size and set up of the library, that could be just a handful of patrons at one time.

Since the pandemic began, the Tabor Library has been doing curbside book checkout and limited delivery of books as well as promoting the online library of e-books and audiobooks available through the library’s website.

Meanwhile, Miller is already moving ahead with plans for her summer reading program, a “story walk” in Tabor City Park where families can get outside enjoy a story and “grab and go” packets covering everything from crafts and kitchen literacy to local flora and fauna and STEM.

Mills County’s other libraries remain in a sort of limbo.

Most are offering curbside book checkout and access to their virtual catalogues.

The Glenwood Public Library, which closed its doors to the public on March 17, has several hurdles to get over before it can re-open, said director Tara Painter.

Painter and her staff don’t currently have adequate cleaning supplies nor access to necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) to meet the state’s or the city’s criteria for re-opening. The building itself, which Painter describes as “cozy,” is also a “challenge for social distancing.” The state’s guidelines for 50 percent maximum occupancy capacity, means technically up to 60 people could be in the library at one time and be in compliance.

“I remember one Wednesday that we had 50 teenagers in here and that was really a challenge on an everyday, normal basis,” Painter said.  “So, we’re going to reviewing those numbers and making some decisions on what we feel will be safe for us and the community. When we do open, we will probably have further restrictions below the 50 percent level.”

In Malvern, the library, like all city buildings, remains closed, but business has remained steady.

In addition to its curbside book pick-up, Malvern is also offering homebound delivery of books. Patrons are encouraged to “call ahead” to reserve titles to check out and the staff pulls those requests for pick-up at a scheduled time.

Malvern is also hosting free Wi-Fi in the library parking as a sort of community internet hot spot.

“It’s been going really well,” said Rebecca Bassich, library director. “It’s kept us plenty busy. I think more people want to read because they find themselves stuck at home and need something to do. It’s been an interesting time.”

So popular has the curbside pick-up been, Bassich has had discussions about keeping the service going even after the pandemic.

“The board and I have talked about it extensively and we think it’s something we’ll continue, especially for those who prefer not to venture out,” she said.

Glenwood may have been closed for much of the pandemic, but their staff have continued to work since the closure, catching up on clerical and maintenance work while there were no patrons in the building.

“We’ve had plenty to do but it’s a lot of scut work,” Painter said. “We took the opportunity to leverage that time to get caught up on those tasks we have trouble getting to when there are patrons.”

Glenwood kicked off its own curbside book pick-up program May 18. Interest has been growing every day, Painter said.
While many libraries around the state are requiring internet access to reserve books, Glenwood’s is done through a phone call. Patrons can call and reserve their books and arrange a pick-up time with library staff.

“We’ve also been encouraging people to use our e-books, we have lots of online resources if they have access to internet but we know there are people who don’t, and they still want their movies and books,” Painter said. “So, it’s a steady stream of materials going in and out. And when they come back, we do quarantine them.”

The online catalogue features thousands of e-books and audiobooks that can be accessed via the Bridges e-Library portal on each library’s website.

Miller, the Tabor library director, said her library has seen interest in e-books go “way up” during the pandemic. While physical book requests are down,  she’s seen only an eight percent drop in total checkouts.

“We’ve more than made up for that in the e-books,” she said, adding the use of simple, internet-downloadable e-reader apps have been growing in recent years.

Garner, the Silver City library director, said the library opening returns some normalcy and an important community service.

“Books are very important,” she said. “And now with home schooling being over, the kids have access to books. Others can come in to use computers for any sort of unemployment benefits or filing important paperwork. Some people in our community come in to print things off that are important.”

When the doors do finally open to the public, most libraries will likely operate under a mix of state and community guidelines.

Bassich said Malvern is likely to follow its own occupancy guidelines rather than the state. According to the state’s 50 percent limit on occupancy capacity, which is determined by the total square footage of a building, Malvern could technically have up to 50 people in the library at one time and be in compliance.

“The mayor has already told us he wants no more than 10 people in the library at one time,” she said. “We could have 50 in here but don’t usually have that many people in here anyway so we’re going to keep it at 10 or less. That seems safe.”