EPLS Spring 2021 Newsletter

2020 was intended to be a banner year for EPLS. It was the 150th anniversary of the opening of the original Elyria Public Library in 1870. We looked forward to a year of celebration. Instead, we closed our doors on March 18, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We know that library services are essential to our community, so management never quit working. The Fiscal Officer continued to pay bills and do payroll. HR handled the employee benefits enrollment that was due April 1st. Our IT and Facilities superintendent kept watch over the buildings, and kept the network and wifi up and running. Like any good librarian, I researched, and tried to keep current on pandemic best practices and procedures based on the available science from public health professionals. Administration created a COVID protocol that was approved by the Board of Trustees, requiring social distancing, mandatory masks for over age 2, hand washing, sanitizing surfaces, and quarantining returned items. We conducted 4 days of staff training in small groups on those procedures, then opened for curbside service at West River on June 1, 2020 and at South Branch on June 15th and started drive-thru window services at Keystone on June 15th. The PR department kept the website up to date with correct information. Staff created programs which were filmed, edited, and put on our YouTube channel. We opened our West River and South buildings to the public for limited use on July 1st and Keystone opened August 17th. Patrons were grateful to use the library’s computers to file for unemployment benefits and job hunt. Central continued doing curbside only until December 17th, then opened to the public as West River was shut down for renovations. As of March 9th, all branch buildings are open. We pivoted quickly to continue to provide you with materials, resources, and programming during the pandemic. We were able to offer a variety of virtual and touchless services, and you responded. Those included: Hold locker pickups- 802 at West River; 193 at Keystone in 4 months Overdrive (downloadable ebooks) usage- 131,850 Hoopla (online audiobooks, comics, ebooks, movies, music, TV series) usage- 16,363 The Outreach Department’s home service delivered 95 bags of books to patrons. We began virtual programming for all ages on June 15, 2020- story times, DIY crafts, tech toys, Mug Meals, STEAM challenges, book talks, puppet shows, Friday field trips- that are available on our Youtube channel. 159 were created in-house, and 6 were purchased. 6,064 people viewed them in six months. We are still not able to do public programming until we are cleared for indoor gatherings. The Governor deemed construction to be an essential activity during the pandemic, so our building projects continued. Although we did experience supply chain delays, we were able to complete Keystone, renovate West River, and continue with construction of the new Central Branch. I always knew that doing 5 buildings in 3 years was a little crazy, but didn’t know there would be a pandemic thrown in for good measure! I couldn’t be more proud of the staff and their determination to be here to provide services to our community. Because they have been diligent about following our safety protocols, we have been able to provide a safe place for them to work and our patrons to use. We look forward to seeing you in person now at our beautiful new South, Keystone, and West River branches, and this fall at the new Central, as we celebrate the next 150 years of EPLS. Dear Friends Sincerely, Lyn Crouse