Behind the closed doors of libraries, in living rooms, backyard sheds and spare bedrooms, your local librarians have been working on protocols to restore services to our patrons. Since Gov. Charlie Baker issued his stay-at-home order over two months ago, librarians from Easthampton, Florence, Northampton, Southampton, Westhampton and Williamsburg have been doing what librarians do — researching, in order to plan how best to collaborate to deliver services.
The group began pre-pandemic as “All Hamptons Read,” a multi-town reading group in which each library plans events around the same book in an effort to bring together the community and share resources toward a common goal. Ironically, this year’s fiction selection is about a post-pandemic world in which people band together around the literature of Shakespeare. Our group quickly pivoted its focus to the COVID-19 pandemic and how to safely and efficiently restore services.
There are plenty of problems to solve in a service even as seemingly simple as curbside delivery, which many businesses have been doing for months. We quickly discovered that nobody had all the answers, but together we are making our way towards the resumption of services.
Even bringing staff back into the building is complex, as state and local health departments issue new guidelines and ordinances. Our libraries have to develop signage for staff, set social distancing guidelines, implement new schedules and develop policies for when staff should stay home from work if they exhibit COVID-19-related symptoms or suspect they are sick. There seems to be no one central source for information, so we took a divide-and-concur approach.
Working as a group has its benefits. Molly Moss, assistant director of Forbes Library in Northampton, told me that “working in a group has made staff more comfortable with returning to work.” Nora Blake, director of Emily Williston Memorial Library in Easthampton, agreed, adding: “It’s easy to overlook something because the problem of reopening is so complex.”
“I felt I was able to open sooner because adopting policies created by the group was simpler, faster and better than coming up with them on my own from scratch,” said Meaghan Schwelm, director of Westhampton Public Library.
At Lilly Library in Florence, I found a source for quality masks at a reasonable price and arranged a group purchase of 5,000 masks for these libraries and others nearby that may need them. Whenever possible, we co-organize trips to Mass Surgical Supply and the Chamber of Commerce to pick up items essential to reopening but hard to find, such as surgical gloves.
Being in touch virtually (first by email and later by Zoom) helps keep everyone feel grounded and gave us an occasional laugh, like when Molly revealed that she had let her daughter dye her hair blue “for a Mothers’ Day present.” In the present situation, laughs matter.
“This isn’t business as usual,” Barbara Goldin, director of Edwards Public Library in Southampton, told me, “so having peers to work with is great. We can find a common solution.” Lisa Downing, director of Forbes, echoed this point: “There is no ‘new normal’ yet, so having peers helps establish a kind of norm.” Beverly Bullock, director of Meekins Library in Williamsburg, put it this way: “Anything that helps us get back to serving our patrons faster and better is something we need to do.”
All participating Easthampton, Florence, Northampton, Southampton, Westhampton and Williamsburg libraries have established some common guidelines for curbside service; however, since each library involved has different practices and start dates, check your library’s website for exact details.
All our libraries will reopen for curbside during the month of June. Each library asks that patrons place holds via email, phone, online form or from the online catalog via cwmars.org. When using the online catalog, patrons should only place holds for books that are on the shelf at the library where they intend to pick up the books, as interlibrary loan delivery isn’t available. Where possible, patrons should return books to their owning libraries. When you come, please observe social distancing protocols and wear a mask.
One thing that all the librarians agreed on is that we miss our patrons, our colleagues and our work. We urge everyone to stay safe, sane and sanitary. We really, really hope to see you soon.
For more details about upcoming curbside pickup, visit:
■Edwards Public Library, Southampton, southamptonlibrary.org.
■Emily Williston Memorial Library, Easthampton, ewmlibrary.org
■Forbes Library, Northampton, forbeslibrary.org.
■Lilly Library, Florence, lillylibrary.org.
■Westhampton Public Library, Westhampton, westhampton-ma.com/westhampton-public-library.
■Meekins Library, Williamsburg, meekins-library.org.
Adam Novitt is the director of Lilly Library in Florence.