Carson City Library has adapted to multiple pandemic challenges to keep community connected

On Monday, Feb. 22, the Carson City Library reopened full time to provide the public with its print and electronic resources during regular operating hours, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

When forced to shut its doors last year during the statewide shut down to flatten the COVID-19 curve, the library adapted to the many challenges sent its way in order to continue providing resources to the community, and to keep people connected.

According to Tod Colegrove, Director of the Carson City Library, it was important to reopen full time because the services they provide can be critical to keeping people at home and safe.

“Not everyone can afford to get the latest book or movie they want shipped to their house the next day by Amazon,” said Colegrove. “If we’re asking people to stay home and stay healthy, then they need tools to work with.”

The services the library offers the community are a part of those tools, whether it be print books, e-books, movies, books-on-tape, or any of the resources the library provides.

At first, the library closed entirely and provided curbside service, but since then, they’ve been able to adapt to having the doors open.

“Initially, we weren’t sure how the virus was spreading, so we had to close down the learning center and remove all of the seating in the library while we researched more,” said Colegrove.

This research included learning how long the virus could exist on book pages or other lent items from the library.

One of the adaptations library staff made to keep both themselves and the public safe from the virus was to upgrade the automated materials handling.

“When folks bring books back to the library and put them in a slot, there’s a big robot that sorts them out into the different bins,” said Colegrove. “If the materials are coming back and someone had COVID and it’s on the item, the less they get touched the better. Those bins go into quarantine for a week so any virus would die before they go back onto the shelves.”

Another new safety feature the library employed was installing self-check lockers in front of the library so that those community members who were extremely high risk could still safely check out books and materials from the library without having to physically enter the building.

According to Colegrove, a library patron could reserve a book, and staff would collect the book and place it into the locker. Then when the patron arrived, they would scan their library card and the locker would open.

“We had those installed in December and the last time I looked in January, they’d already been used over 1,000 times,” said Colegrove. “They are very well used.”

Carson City residents have responded positively to the changes since the shut down first came about, according to Colegrove.

“I’ve been extraordinarily impressed with the Carson City public,” said Colegrove. “Everyone here has been extremely respectful, they understand the risk, they all wear the masks even if they might not like them ... and they’ve been extraordinarily understanding.”

In-person programming was stopped as soon as the shut down began, and has moved virtual, whether it be for preschool story time, book club, or any of the educational activities for students.

When the switch to virtual programming first came about, there seemed to be a bit of a drop-off, but since that time there has been far more interest and expansion pertaining to interest and attendance of the programming.

“They’ve really picked up and expanded,” said Colegrove. “From what I’ve heard, that if anything, there’s been a lot more engagement and activities in the programs than we’ve had in the past.”

Colegrove doesn’t believe a return to in-person programming will make a return until sometime after the summer, but that could change depending on safety regulations on a statewide level.

However, since they’ve had such a positive reception of engagement in virtual programming, they’d like to continue to include virtual programming going forward even after the return to in-person programs.

“We’ve been able to be so much more inclusive,” said Colegrove. “We’ve had a lot of folks who’ve been able to participate in our programs that otherwise weren’t able to come in because they were homebound or sick or had a disability, and yet they can still participate, and the community values that.”

In fact, the library's program "Art Night Out," led by librarian Jana Wiersma, was recently spotlighted and written up in a book by the American Library Association: Going Virtual - Programs and insights from a time of crisis by Sarah Ostman.

Continuing the programming despite the shut down was extremely important to the library, said Colegrove, because it provided a sense of normalcy during a chaotic time.

"That sense of community and connecting these people together, it’s so important because we have to preserve some of that normalcy," said Colegrove. "I think the library did that and continues to do that today."

Colegrove also stated that an importance of reopening the library is, first and foremost, the library is funded by the taxpayer, and the community has a right to use its resources.

“The residents of Carson City not directly but indirectly fund the library and its resources and make it available, and they have a right to expect that it’s there and to be able to use it, and we take that as an article of faith and we do our absolute best to provide that.”

Colegrove added that library staff has been working tirelessly to provide resources to the community because they truly believe in its mission.

“Every single person here is working their hearts out to make sure these resources are available to the public, and to keep everyone safe,” said Colegrove. “We’re doing our absolute best for the community.”

To learn more about the Carson City Library, please visit https://www.carsoncitylibrary.org