Waterbury Public Library begins welcoming patrons back in person
July 23, 2020 | By Lisa Scagliotti
Youth Librarian Michelle Willey is back on duty with recommendations and lists for kids to keep track of summer reading. Photo courtesy of Waterbury Public Library.
In a letter to patrons this week, Waterbury Public Library Director Almy Landauer announced that the library has reopened for limited walk-in service.
The library must keep within 25 percent of its capacity which will allow patrons time for “brief, purposeful visits,” Landauer explained.
Library visitors are asked to wear a mask, with the exceptions being children under the age of 2 and those with a medical exemption. Visits are limited to 30 min. or less for individuals, two people per group, or one parent with two children.
The library has also revised its Unattended Children Policy to ask that children under age 14 be accompanied by an adult.
The rules for navigating the library will be similar to other public places, Landauer explained. Visitors will be asked to use hand sanitizer upon entry, browsing will be limited to two people six feet apart per aisle, and staircases are marked for one-way traffic.
For those who do not want to enter the library, staff are still offering curbside service. Instructions on how to place orders and pickup curbside are on the library’s website.
New hours are:
Walk-in: Mondays 12-5 p.m., Wednesdays 12-6 p.m., and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The first hour (12-1) on Monday and Wednesday is reserved for those who consider themselves high-risk for COVID-19.
Curbside: Tuesdays 3-6 p.m., Thursdays 3-6 p.m., and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1p.m.
The library asks that all returns be made using the dropbox outside the library entrance. It’s open 24/7. Landauer said that all returned materials will have a quarantine period before being available again for check-out. That’s based on guidelines from the Institute for Museum and Library Services and the Centers for Disease Control.
Patrons will have four computers and one iPad to use by appointment and with a 30-minute limit. Self-service printing and copying is also available with payment by donation and no change provided.
The meeting rooms are not yet available for the public to use. Seating will be limited, and patrons are asked not to congregate inside the library, Landauer said. Library programs will continue to be offered online or outdoors as appropriate, she said. A list is on the library website, waterburypubliclibrary.com.
Landauer said the new rules are temporary, although there is no set expiration for them yet. “As COVID-19 recedes, greater levels of service will be phased in accordingly. Thanks for your understanding as we work through this ‘new normal’ to provide services to Waterbury,” she said.
To help demonstrate the new procedures, the library staff did a video that includes an original song, “The Library Rocks On!” written and performed by Steve Lotspeich, who’s also Waterbury’s Community Planning Director. (see below)
For more information, see the library’s website or call or email the library at 244-7036 or info@waterburypubliclibrary.com.