By Katelyn Lam, Staff Writer
With Covid spreading throughout the world, many businesses and public places have had to shut down, the libraries in San Mateo County included. Still, they were able to find alternative ways to make sure people still had access to all the resources the library had to offer. Express Service and Curbside Pick Up were one of the many solutions that they found to keep the community connected with the library and their resources.
On March 16, 2020, the library had to shut down after the lockdowns had begun in the county. The workers have had to adapt to the new situation on hand by interacting online instead of in person; Many procedures have had to be adjusted but the material had to remain the same. “Our wonderful storytimes, tech help, author events, and other programs have gone digital while our physical resources remained available through Curbside and Walkup services.” Library Manager Elise Staples stated. On June 6, Curbside Pick Up was approved for distanced book pickups and printing services. It also allowed people to be able to put books and other things the library has to offer like DVDs on hold and pick it up once it arrives. Transitioning most of the library’s resources online allowed them to preserve public health and safety, which was a top priority during the pandemic. For those who want a contactless pick up it is available Monday through Wednesday from 10 to 5 pm.
The Express Service was introduced on Thursday, April 22 after San Mateo County had moved into the orange tier. All libraries inside the county would now be open to people who want to spend some time browsing the books in person, access computers or for free wifi access. The Express Service allows people to go inside the library for limited periods of time whilst keeping to the strict guidelines of social distancing and masks. Sixty minutes is the recommended maximum amount of time someone should stay per day to keep physical contact to a minimum. Express Service will be available from 10-1 and 2-5 PM every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at most of the libraries. Staff will also be on hand to assist anyone with anything and answer any questions people may have on the Express Service or just the library in general.
Although people are allowed to go inside, there are still rules in place to make sure everyone stays safe. “Safety is our greatest concern. We require everyone ages 2 and up to wear a mask at all times and practice social distancing.” Staples explained. Everything is highly regulated from the capacity and seating to cleaning to prevent the spread of germs. “From 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM we close for a high-touch cleaning break.” All the rules from before quarantine still apply and new ones like masks and staying 6 feet apart are enforced now as well. Being able to walk inside the library again is something many patrons will enjoy and is sure to have missed over the past year but safety should still be everyone’s first priority. The visitors aren’t the only ones happy with this new arrangement, the staff at the library are also happy that people are now able to come in and enjoy all the resources the library has to offer in person.
As of now it has been over a year since it closed and with the recent opening of the library hopefully as the cases start going down the library will be able to offer more and more activities in person. For the time being events are still being held virtually, but overtime as the guidelines start relaxing a bit more those may be able to be held in person too. This just opens the doors to new possibilities in the future even when everything is back to normal.
