Greetings from the Dover Public Library! Please know that we miss you and are working to put the systems and procedures in place to be able to serve you again. As you can imagine, there is no game plan for a situation like this. A lot of what we do is dependent on guidelines and mandates from federal, state, and local health authorities, so we have learned to be flexible and patient because things often change by the hour. Please know the safety of our staff and of our patrons is paramount. The restoration of our services to the community will be a gradual one and there will be a learning curve as the public learns how to use the library in the pandemic age.
This week we began Curbside Pickup for our library patrons. This is actually Phase 3 of our reopening plan. The library will be providing this service with limited hours throughout the month of May. The hours are as follows: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10:00 AM-4:00 PM and Tuesday and Thursday from 12:00 PM-6:00 PM. Complete information on how Curbside Pickup works can be found here.
In a nutshell, patrons can call the library at 330-343-6123 to request materials, use the request form on our website, or use their account to order specific materials. A librarian will pull your materials, check them out to you automatically, and have them ready for you to pickup at our Community Room door, which is located at the rear of the library.
Please know that this is a no-contact service. We will not be handling your library card, taking money, or making any transactions back and form. We will simply verify who you are and put a bag of your library materials in your trunk. All returns need to be placed in either of our book drops, which are located at the front and rear of our building.
Often I receive questions about what we do to ensure the safety of our patrons in light of the fact that library materials are changing hands. The library follows all necessary CDC guidelines on the handling of library materials. Returned items are quarantined for 72 hours to ensure the safety of our staff. Items are then cleaned and then checked in off your record. Please don’t worry about fines because we are fine-free during this difficult time. If you have any questions about our Curbside Pickup service, please don’t hesitate to call or email me at director@doverlibrary.org.
Phase 4 of our reopening plan will feature limited access by patrons in our building. What will this look like? There are still many unknowns, but you can expect to see counter guards in place at our checkout desks, signage enforcing social distancing requirements, staff wearing gloves and masks, and the removal of much of our furniture. The idea for this phase is for the public to come in and browse and to pick up their holds quickly and then leave. We know that so many people depend on libraries for their computer and Internet access. We will more than likely be doing this by appointment. Cleaning will be very visible and rigorous.
Phase 5 will feature full-service library access as you know and love, including the full array of programs you know and love.
Please know that all of these phases depend on mandates and guidelines from our health authorities. There is no timeline for each of these phases because we simply need to see how things go.
Thank you for your time and patience! If you have any questions about our Curbside Pickup service, please don’t hesitate to call or email me. We all need to be safe and smart and keep proper perspective. With your help, we can do this!
-Jim Gill, Director