[Michlib-l] A little update on how our curbside is going and an opinion piece (not by me) in LJ

[Reed, Nyama]

This is a good one, so I'm passing it on in case you haven't seen it already. I will admit, we started curbside pickup this Monday after 6 weeks of total closure. After consultation with our local health department we moved forward by haivng only 6 staff at a time in the building. At 24,000 sq ft, we can maintain distance. We each wear a mask, but take them off if we are in an office and answering the phone. We put them back on if we are going to talk to another staff member from a distance or will be walking around the building.

Staff who pull books and put them outside for pickup wear gloves. The building is fully cleaned and the bathrooms & work areas are disinfected by the cleaning grew every day. We also have wipes and hand sanitizer for staff to use when changing work stations.

We have 3 book carts outside numbered 1, 2, & 3. Patrons schedule a 15-minute window of time to pick-up. They are told which cart # their items will be on. When they arrive, the come up to the front door and show a staff member (who is inside and behind the glass) their library card or id. They then can take their items.

We started taking returns for the first time in 6 weeks, but only during the curbside pickup times. We have our slots locked and instead have the very large rolling garbage/recycling bins that the Village provides to homeowners. DPW loaned us 8. This way we an easily close the lid once a bin is full and roll it out of the way for quarantine, without touching the items to put them on a cart (as would happen if they came through the slot).

We started pickup this Monday (4/27) of only items that have been on our hold shelf for 6 weeks. We emailed all of those patrons to get first dibs for pickup this week. Turns out, we didn't need a whole week for them. Many never called us back and it was not crazy busy. This morning we opened up for new requests. We had been planning to be scheduling the new people next week, but we were able to fit some in at the end of today and the rest on Thu & Fri of this week. The first half hour of open phone lines had  the phones ringing off the hook, but now it has slowed down. --------------------<https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=An-Open-Letter-to-Other-Library-Directors-Opinion-covid-19&fbclid=IwAR15uWxQacyEYOsDjhSDN7ms_ImrJser3Z4B7eOMsJe45UAoSYK91Z91Zpk>

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Copied and pasted full text with citation info for ease of access.
An Open Letter to Other Library Directors | Opinion
https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=An-Open-Letter-to-Other-Library-Directors-Opinion-covid-19&fbclid=IwAR15uWxQacyEYOsDjhSDN7ms_ImrJser3Z4B7eOMsJe45UAoSYK91Z91Zpk


by Royce Kitts<https://www.libraryjournal.com/?authorName=Royce%20Kitts>
Apr 28, 2020 | Filed in News<https://www.libraryjournal.com/?subpage=news>


Dear Colleagues,

As I said to my library board last night, my library science degree and on the job experiences do not qualify me or give me the necessary education to be a hazardous materials specialist or an epidemiologist.

We all know that libraries are under attack, especially in regards to funding, pretty much all the time. I think part of our collective fear at this moment is local governments thinking that because we closed that we aren't really that important. I believe some are feeling that tension without verbalizing this sentiment. We worry about the short-term as well as the long-term consequences that our closings will have on our libraries. However, I do not thinking rushing to reopen solves this issue.

As I explained to my library board, I will not reopen the library until I can ensure the health and safety of our staff. I will not reopen the library just because the governor cancels the stay at home order. We will be slow and deliberate, because for the first time in my 20 years of being a librarian, the decisions I make mean the life or death of my employees. (Yes. I said that last part. A bit of hyperbole, but honestly, not that much.) Safety will be the top priority. As I explained, the very thing we strive to achieve—engaging the community and filling up the library—is exactly what makes our library vulnerable. I will say that I am glad they back me on this. I feel better for my people, and about the months ahead.

To more emphatically state my position in regards to the health and safety of all library workers:

If your plan is to begin reopening as soon as possible, or engaging in curbside soon, then I want to see the library director and administrators on the front lines of service. I want them to be the ones to take books out to the cars, handle materials, and empty book drops.

Remember, when people say "That's why you make the big bucks" (they don't say that too often in libraries), this means you. Our lower-paid employees are often our most vulnerable in terms of being able to handle sickness and unplanned financial setbacks. Is your desire to reopen worth that risk? Are you certain that giving into pressures (both real and imagined) to reopen, versus your duty to protect the health and safety of your employees, will be in the long term best interest of the library?

I encourage all of us, no matter what your opinion, to participate in discussions at the local and county levels, and especially in library-based discussions around this topic. This is our biggest test yet; we will need each other more than ever.

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

Respectfully,

Royce Kitts
Director
Liberal Memorial Library
Liberal, Kansas

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Sincerely,
Nyama

Nyama Y. Reed (she / her / hers)
Library Director
N.Reed at WFBLibrary.org
414-755-6551 (direct line)

Whitefish Bay Public Library
5420 North Marlborough Drive
Whitefish Bay, WI 53217
414-964-4380 (main line)

Our Mission
The Whitefish Bay Public Library, as a cornerstone of the community, is dedicated to connecting people of all ages, inspiring a love of learning and providing easy access to ideas, information and resources.

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