A Year At The Library During Covid-19
A Year At The Library During Covid-19
On March 17, 2020, the Putnam County Public Library closed its doors temporarily due to Covid-19. Since then, 535,000+ people have died in the United States due to Covid-19, with millions infected. Sixty of our community members have passed due to Covid-19 in the past year. The library mourns their loss, as well as the loss of every person due to Covid-19.
As we reflect on the past year, we hold the families, friends, and loved ones of those who have been affected by Covid-19 in our thoughts.
AMBER COMPTON, ADULT REFERENCE & ADULT PROGRAMS MANAGER
“This year has been challenging in so many ways and has also given us the opportunity to grow. Because of social distancing, staff learned how to use screen viewing services to help patrons on the computer. This has been great for different skill levels and allowed us to teach people new skills.
In the Adult area upstairs we have been working on a passion project called the Community Corner. We felt distant from our patrons who come in to see us sometimes daily and we wanted to create a space where we can provide information and resources. The Community Corner houses our Racial Equity collection and binders full of information, not just on Covid-19, but financial aid resources, tax filing, and more. The area was made through collaboration and we hope to see it grow in the future.
Finally, through Covid, we have been very grateful to be actively helping our community register for the vaccine. It is always a great feeling to see someone walk away with a book you know they are going to be immersed in, it’s another to know you’ve given someone peace of mind about their health and safety. It’s been a year of trials–from moving furniture to constant cleaning. We are so thankful to our patrons who have taken precautions to keep us and others safe and we look forward to a time when we can see their smiling faces again.”
MATT MCCLELLAND, LIBRARY DIRECTOR
“In a year when it seems like people can’t agree on much of anything, we can all agree that the last year has been one that we would all like to put in the rearview. However, I can say that despite all of the challenges, the library staff can take pride in how we have kept trying to improve things despite all that has gone on around us. It appears that the time is coming when everyone will be comfortable coming to the library again. When they do, I like to think that they will be impressed at many of the new services and improvements that we have made over the last year.”
CONNI NEISWINGER, CIRCULATION MANAGER
“This past year has been strange and challenging for all of us. Around this time last year, I was brainstorming ways for the library to continue to serve our patrons as we worked from home. Our director and the rest of the staff worked out a plan for the library to reopen safely. From working out ways to implement curbside pickup to how to install the barriers needed at the circulation desk, we all had to get creative and think outside the box.
This sense of teamwork and community have been some of my favorite things about this past year. Our team here at the library really came together and came up with some creative solutions and I’m so proud of that.
One of my favorite parts of working at the library is interacting with our patrons. The most difficult part of the past year for me has been the distance we all must keep from each other. I am a hugger, I like to give our youngest patrons stickers and bookmarks. All of those things are on hold right now. When the library reopened last summer I was glad to get back to my patrons.
Like everyone else, I can’t wait to get back to some sense of normalcy. The past year has been amazingly challenging and I have learned so much! The most important thing I learned is that I have an awesome job and work with amazing people!”
ANTHONY BARGER, ARCHIVIST
“It appears that we are getting close to the pandemic ending and approaching a new normal. As this surreal time is coming to an end, I find myself reflecting on the past year. Like everyone, the Archives Department has gone through some difficult times but has also used this period to create new ways to interact and assist patrons. Most notable of all of our losses was the passing of Ed Dewes of Covid. Ed was one of the library’s longest-serving volunteers. He started volunteering around 25 years ago and he is missed.
A difficulty for us, in the beginning, was not being able to directly interact with our patrons. A trait of the department is that we interact a lot with our patrons. It ranges from in-depth discussions about what collections to research to simple storytelling. In a department such as ours, patrons expect to see and handle the original documents. This came to a near full stop with the pandemic. Still, I admit that we have done a fine job of making sure that people got what they needed or wanted. In fact, our patrons stepped up by being both patient and going outside their comfort zone by embracing technology that previously they would not consider using.
Throughout the past year, we used our time well. Most people do not know this, but we have a room that contains thousands and thousands of documents that tell the history of our county. We have used this time to increase the entering of these collections into a database so that we can better serve the public.
Stu Fabe, Once Upon A Concert Season
Alex Komives, Release
Release
My thin arrowed gait across the driveway,
provoked by lure of sidewalk’s open bend
to elsewhere-away-from-here, was deflected
by shielded certitude of nearby corners
discharging metronomic bursts of dog walkers
and wall scrammers once foot’s flight
departed home ground. Frustrated. Returned.
I repeated my outward assault only to revisit
the doorstep. Back and forth, I stitched
air with caged velocity until my notice
chanced upward a confident stretch
of altocumulus, potholed with blue whispers
of beyond, and recalling yesterday’s moon
retasked my torqued spirit to a search
and rescue. My eyes growing frantic
rummaged the high billowed mesh for
glimpse of waxing gibbous form. And then,
as if answer, an unfinished orb tore
clear an instant to toss a wink. Quickly
clouds recovered, but it was enough.
Comfort stood and
I was stilled.
PCPL Unveils Covid-19 Reopening Plan
by Library Admin
At the Putnam County Public Library, we believe that libraries are one of the most essential industries. We provide access to vital resources, such as government programs, resources and research for schoolwork, free internet and technology. We offer a place for the community to meet and discuss ideas, children to play, learn, and grow, and even as a place for someone to simply get warm. During the library’s closure, the library staff has worked tirelessly to continue to provide these essential services to the community outside of the library building.
On April 29, 2020, the PCPL Board of Trustees approved a phased plan to reopen the library. PCPL is a hub of connection, creativity, entertainment, and information in the Putnam County community. Throughout the library’s closure, the library has continued to provide essential services through remote reference by email, digital programming, digital materials (eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines, streaming video, and talking picture books), digital library card sign-ups, free public Wi-Fi, and much more.
The library will continue to provide these digital services, but will begin the process of reopening the library beginning Monday, May 11. On Monday, May 11, library staff will be able to return to the library building on a limited basis, in order to asses whether library staff has appropriate PPE for working in the library and technology to work remotely. Additionally, library staff will use that time to process returns and mail, and put the finishing touches on procedures for offering curbside and remote services. Safeguarding the health of library staff and patrons is the primary goal in the library’s reopening policy.
Phase 1 of reopening the library will use the following guidelines in order to provide the best safety measures for staff and patrons:
It is our hope that we will be able to begin providing curbside services, as well as more access to free Wi-Fi and public computers in the coming weeks. Please check back on our Covid-19 Updates page for more information on when the library will begin providing these services.
We miss our patrons and we hope to see you soon. Stay safe and stay healthy, Putnam County.
