Longmont Public Library patrons eager to browse the stacks instead of the online catalog will be able to do so again this week.
The library will reopen at 10 a.m. Thursday with a “Grab-n-Go” model, the city announced Tuesday. Hours will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and patrons will be limited to 25 at a time.
While virtual programs and curbside pickup have been popular since the library shuttered to visitors in March, the library is much more than a place to hear stories or check out books and media, said Teresa Myers, marketing and communications manager.
“Patrons, especially older folks and young families, really miss the community of the library. For many people, we are part of their weekly, and sometimes daily, routines and it’s been hard on them to not have those connections with each other and our staff,” Myers said via email Tuesday. “ We’ve also heard that people miss browsing the new book section, and some parents have shared their boredom at reading the same picture books over and over and over again.”
When the library reopens, visitors will be able to browse and check out materials; get a library card at the temporary information desk; pick up holds; use computers, printers and scanners by appointment; and use public copier machines.
Public seating areas and study and meeting rooms will not be open. Toys, iPads and computers will not be available in the children’s area, and the indoor book drop will remain closed. Returned materials will be quarantined for three days before being returned to the shelves.
Late fees, which have been suspended during the closure, will begin to accrue again starting Thursday.
Curbside delivery service, which saw 408 visitors on Monday according to library counts, will continue. Curbside delivery has been a “smashing success in getting materials into the hands of library patrons,” Myers said.
Live programming won’t be returning on Thursday, but virtual services and programs that have been well-received by the community will carry on.
Myers said the library has seen an increase of approximately 5% with vendors of virtual services, such as ebooks and emagazines. She said staff surmises that number isn’t higher because the library has to purchase ebooks the same way it does hard copy books, “and our budget has never allowed for a very big collection. We’re trying to shift resources to expand that further, however.”
The library tried a lot of virtual programming after the library closed, but has “pretty much settled into what seems to be popular at this point,” Myers said.
Popular programs include three storytimes at 11 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter (@LongmontLibrary), which are “typically getting slightly more views than we’d get for live storytimes,” Myers said. Also popular is the “Book Bites” video book review series that airs randomly and has been “super popular right out of the gate,” she said.
The ¡Hablemos! Let’s Talk! conversational language program has been so popular that a second weekly session has been added, Myers said. That program now runs from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays on Webex.
“We have also featured interactive programs on our social media, and one program that I think surprised all of us in terms of its popularity is our ‘Keep Calm & Read On’ book suggestion program on Facebook and Twitter every Tuesday morning from 9 to 11 a.m.,” she said.
Other offerings that have earned fans include the “Crafternoon Challenge” Thursday afternoons on Facebook and Twitter, which Myers said kids and parents have enjoyed.
The reopening also means patrons can again shop at the Friends of the Longmont Library bookstore, according to the city news release. However, Prudence Carter, president of the organization, said the board will dive into safety practices both for library patrons and volunteers at its meeting later this month.
“We want to be sure all of our activities can be accommodated, not only the book shop, but donations coming in,” said Carter, who assumed the president’s role in May. “We want to make sure our volunteers are following safety precautions and we have appropriate space for them.”
Book donations are taken in the garage at the library, and people sometimes just drive by and drop them off, Carter said. Making sure donations are properly quarantined, as well as ensuring volunteers have adequate space to sort them are key among the issues the board will discuss, she said.
“Most of our volunteers are older, they are at risk (for coronavirus) more so than 40-year-olds,” Carter said. “That’s something we are keenly aware of.”
Friends of the Longmont Library’s mission is to strengthen the “community by promoting the library and literacy and raising money to enhance the library’s programs and services,” according to its website. Incorporated as a nonprofit in 1984, the organization now has more than 500 members and an annual budget of over $100,000, according to the site.
Its four yearly book sales are its primary revenue generator, but Carter said one of the discussions growing from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic is exploring new ways to raise money to support the library.
Meanwhile, Friends of the Longmont Library is continuing to do what it does best — support the library. Just last month, it gave $6,000 to the library for children’s and adult books on racial justice and equality, Carter said.
