County’s libraries reopening on a limited basis

Restrictions on patron numbers, access to materials in place
By: 
Lee Pulaski
City Editor

Shawano County’s libraries will be reopening to the public on a limited basis beginning next week.

The Shawano library will be open on Mondays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The other five branch libraries will open for one day each week, and curbside pickup will remain available at all libraries on the other days that the library would normally be open. Hours at the branch libraries will be: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mondays for Bonduel; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesdays for Wittenberg; 2-6 p.m. Tuesdays for Mattoon; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursdays for Birnamwood; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays for Tigerton.

There will be other restrictions in place, as well. Besides the usual rules about masks, social distancing and hand sanitizer, there will be limits on the number of people in the building, and only two people per household will be allowed to permit as many different families to use the library at one time as possible. The time limit for visits is one hour.

Magazines and newspapers will not be available in the next phase of the reopening, and restrooms and water fountains will remain closed. Computers will be available by appointment only.

Patrons will be asked to put any books touched but not checked out in designated areas to be quarantined. They will also need to return checked-out materials in the outside bins.

“We’ve been mindful and monitoring how our patrons have been using our services, how they would like to be using our services,” said Kristie Hauer, the county’s library director. “Now we have our courier system, which runs between all the libraries, that is up and functioning again.”

Hauer noted that conditions have improved to the point where it’s possible to accommodate patrons who can utilize library services briefly like checking out a couple of books, albeit at 20-25% capacity. The size of the Shawano and Birnamwood libraries will allow up to 20 people to use the facility at a given time, but the other libraries are smaller, she said, so only a few patrons will be able to enter at a time.

“We still have our curbside pickup available on other days of the week,” Hauer said. “If people are concerned about being in close proximity to other people, there are still options available that won’t have people so close together.”

The one-hour time limit should be easy for patrons to accomplish, in Hauer’s view, because the libraries have scaled back on services like children’s programming, author presentations and other activities that would compel patrons to stay in the library for longer periods.

“You can come in, take care of your business, whatever that may be, and then leave the building again to leave that space and availability open for other patrons,” Hauer said. “The staff will be on hand to help facilitate that more quickly.”

She recommended patrons who know specifically what they need to call ahead, as it will allow library staff to have it ready when patrons arrive.

Hauer is uncertain when the libraries will be back to their former levels of service, noting that it will depend on how the health status of Shawano County evolves. She said the next level of reopening would involve increasing the number of days being publicly accessible and fewer with curbside pickup.

“Our library board takes a look at this every single month, and we look to see if it makes sense to scale in more services,” Hauer said. “What the library board and I are trying not to do is scale things back so severely again where there’s much more limitations to our services. Our path will be slow moving forward, but we intend to keep building upon our services and availability rather than scale back.”

AT A GLANCE

New rules to observe once the libraries reopen:

• Hand sanitizer will available in entry ways. Sanitize your hands when entering the building.

• All staff will wear masks in public-facing spaces.

• The public is encouraged to wear masks when in the building. Masks are required for anyone who requests individual help from staff outside of the designated checkout area.

• Maintain six feet of social distance from staff and others in the building.

• Limits will be placed on the number of people who may be in each building at one time. Your visit, for whatever purposes, will be limited to 1 hour.

• Computers will be available by appointment. Contact your branch library to schedule an appointment.

• Return library materials to designated outdoor book drops. Items will be checked in three business days after being returned to the library and will be marked as if returned on the date you brought the items back to the library. Your library account will be updated when the materials are checked in.

• When browsing for materials at the library, put any items you touch but do not check out into designated areas inside the library. These items will be quarantined for 72 hours before returning to the library shelf.

• Magazines and newspaper will not be available for browsing. Magazines may be checked out with the assistance of a staff member.

• Restrooms and water fountains will not be available.

• Observe a two-person limit per household to allow as many people as possible to use the services