New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Folks ‘just wanted a library’
Guilford Free Library succeeds in staying open
GUILFORD — On a blustery, rainy Saturday morning, the Guilford Free Library was buzzing with activity.
Throughout the pandemic, the Guilford Free Library has remained open — except for the two months immediately following the shutdown last March.
“We’re a very busy, bustling library,” said Director Rob McCoole.
Wearing masks and practicing social distancing, patrons perused the bookshelves and filled their arms with books.
“I read to my grandchildren, Sunday, in London, over Facebook,” said Ian McClure.
“It’s become a kind of standard ritual,” said the Guilford resident, looking over a copy of “Jack” by Tomie dePaola.
Since reopening at the end of June last year, the library has averaged between 150 and 200 people entering the building each day to browse. The hours accommodate a cleaning every two hours.
“There were a lot of folks that just wanted a library,” said McCoole. “They didn’t necessarily want our clever, new spins on what a library could be.
But “We did a lot of that and plenty of people did embrace that,” he said.
Hours and restrictions have changed slightly throughout the pandemic, as McCoole keeps a very close eye on the local COVID-19 positive cases.
“January 12, the local caseload just kept rising and rising and that’s really what I’ve focused on every day,” McCoole says. “I look at the numbers every single day.”
Since mid-March, the library has expanded hours.
McCoole anticipates being at the pre-pandemic summer schedule by June 21.
McClure has taken advantage of being able to walk around the corner from his house to visit.
“They have a very, very good system of letting people in and keeping people distanced,” he says. “I’m very keen on observing distance and masks.”
Every single person who enters the library is required to stop at a host desk set up right inside the entrance.
Masks are required and patrons are asked to use the available hand sanitizer. A tally of the guests is kept to ensure there is no overcrowding.
“I’m really glad that people are using the library still,” said Angelina Carnevale, head of Children’s Department, while she was manning the welcome table.
“We work really hard to try and keep things safe and it’s good that people have that faith to come in and use our services that are available,” she said.
Patron Joan Shrewsbury applauds the library staff for keeping the library open and safe.
“They’ve all been given odd jobs, not what you think a librarian should be doing,” the Friends of the Library volunteer said. “But they’re doing all kinds of things now and they’re doing it with a smile on their faces.
“They’re happy to see people. They’ve been very supportive.”
These jobs have included assisting residents with registering for COVID-19 vaccinations and working at the weekly vaccination clinic at the Nathanael B. Greene Community Center.
Librarian Tim Smith, sitting at his desk on the rainy Saturday, assisted, via telephone, with computer access to COVID-19 vaccination appointments.
He said that many elderly local residents don’t have email accounts or knowledge of the computer, so he is available to help the process run smoother.
“It’s been difficult, but also very rewarding at the same time,” he said.
Smith is also readily available to take phone calls with queries from the public.
Carnevale says she can’t wait to get “back to normal where we can have fun and do all the children’s programs and all that fun stuff that we do.”
Yet, over the last eight months the library has adapted and continues to offer many virtual programs.
These include Babytime, storytime, Harry Potter Book Club for Tweens and Teens, Musical Instrument Tutoring Program, book discussions, virtual talks, a computer programming club and a music mentoring service for children and teens. In addition, patrons continue to request curbside pickup.
In February, alone, 806 people attended a library program via Zoom, according to McCoole.
“Attendance at our Zoom programming actually allows us to reach more people than would fit into our meeting room,” he said.
He noted that one recent event, “102 people attended a talk by Superintendent of Guilford Public Schools Paul Freeman on Equity and Social Justice in Guilford’s Schools, and at the same time 50 people attended a talk by former Connecticut Poet Laureate Marilyn Nelson.”
Online services doubled while the library was closed and according to McCoole they make up 25 percent of the library’s circulation, with a total of 5,500 digital checkouts last month alone.
Before the pandemic, the library offered Libby eBooks and audiobooks. In March, immediately after the shutdown, some $3,000 was used to increase the availability of popular titles.
“We have continued to fund this service well above pre-pandemic levels,” said McCoole.
In addition, for the first six months of the pandemic the checkout limit for Hoopla eBooks, audiobooks, music, comic books, television, movies was increased from five to 10 titles per month for six months.
More than twice as many movie buffs accessed Kanopy to watch movies during the shutdown and for those interested in genealogy, remote access to ancestry.com was made available and continues today.
Magazines and newspapers, including the New York Times, New Haven Register, Hartford Courant, The Day and Wall Street Journal are new features available to all Guilford residents.
All of these changes, McCoole said, is thanks to the “public support from Guilford.”
McCoole cites the money raised by Friends of the Library, some $100,000 in 2019, and Guilford Library Association which raises about 15 percent of the library’s operating budget, as important factors in being able to keep the library open.
When the weather was nice, tents with tables and heaters were set up outside the library to welcome patrons. Those will be back up when the weather gets a bit warmer.
Throughout the last year, McCoole said that keeping the library open was forefront in his mind.
“Just knowing how busy we were in normal times and how the library is an essential part of people’s lives, I didn’t think I had a choice but to figure it out,” said McCoole. “So that was my mission.”