Library is essential

At the Sandusky Library, the year that would become 2020 truly began on Tuesday, March 17, when the impact of the pandemic landed at our doorstep. Shelves of books fill the Sandusky Library Register file photo/ERIN CALDWELL The library staff went home the evening before, fully expecting to serve as a polling location for the presidential primary election, confident the board of elections could safely handle its operation and our shared civic duty would unfold. The final call came in the early hours of the morning that the state of Ohio would instead cancel in-person voting on Tuesday. And so, the library closed to the public as a precautionary measure in response to this extraordinary event. We continued to work on-site and waited to hear what would happen next. Then Ohio shut down with a stay-at-home order. During this time, Sandusky Library used the opportunity of quarantine and phased reopening to reinvent services and to connect with library cardholders in new ways. To keep everyone safe, we adopted the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the safest use of libraries which emphasized contact-free options to provide valuable resources and services to the public: • We invested in expanding purchases for our e-book collection and providing remote access to electronic resources. The Sandusky Library. Register photo/ERIN CALDWELL • We moved library programs, like family storytime, to online platforms and archived content for later viewing. • We maintained telephone reference assistance. • For those who needed internet, wireless access remained available outside the building. We provided all these services with staff working remotely from home. By summer, as statewide delivery of library materials was restarted, our library was ready with staff on-site and trained in mandatory safety protocols. We opened for curbside pickup of library materials, and we shifted the after-school snack program to curbside. We continued our popular history exhibits by creating panels that could be viewed from the sidewalk, and we designed an outdoor story trail for children. We maintained the summer reading program with online participation, established Follett House Fridays on social media and created tech tutor instructional videos. At the same time, we implemented a bi-weekly electronic newsletter to stay connected with library cardholders more expediently than could be done with a print newsletter. In August, after transforming the lobby for browsing popular materials, we added hours for lobby services and computer appointments. All these new services were achieved in a matter of weeks while remote services continued. Sandusky Library In late November, in response to the Level 3 red advisory for Erie County, the library returned to contactless services: curbside material delivery, telephone assistance and continued virtual programs. Although the county remains in this status, we are encouraged by recent improvements in community health statistics. Presently, we are working to bring back those once-familiar library services in person. In February, we reintroduced lobby services and computer use by appointment enabling us to provide high-demand tax forms and faxing services. On March 1, we opened three days a week while continuing curbside pickup on alternate days. We will continue to phase in on-site services as community health warrants and staffing levels allow, adhering to the goal of keeping everyone safe while providing core library services. Although library services during a pandemic bear little resemblance to life of the past, essential library services continue to be available in new forms. We all grieve the loss of leisurely browsing, meeting for book discussions and singing along at storytime, but these changes are temporary. Interactive services will return. Along with their return, new services will remain viable alternatives as a lingering benefit of our success in 2020. We look forward to life beyond this pandemic when the library can resume its role as a community gathering place. We remain hopeful that 2021 will unfold with continued promise. For now, we are ready to schedule your computer or curbside appointment, find the tax form you need, or place a hold on your favorite book or movie. Please give us a call: 419-625-3834.