The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Oneida Public Library to begin drive-up services June 8
ONEIDA, N.Y. » Oneida Public Library will be open for limited services with its new drive-up window as of this coming Monday, June 8, starting at 10 a.m.
The OPL’S drive-up window will be at the rear of the library, 220 Broad St., facing the north side of the OPL’S parking lot next to the back door.
For an initial period, the services at the window will be limited to the return of library materials and the pick-up of requested items that are currently available at the OPL.
“As we move through the phases of reopening the Broad Street building to the public,” OPL Director Michele Ryan said. “We are taking every precaution to ensure the health and safety of our patrons and staff.
“We are employing the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and State Department of Health for disinfecting and sanitizing both the building and library materials for checkout. We are utilizing PPE (personal protection equipment) as well as engaging in health screening protocol. We will ask that the public partner with us to provide the healthiest library environment possible for our community by adhering to state and local laws as well as CDC guidelines.”
To help comply with state guidelines for social distancing, the OPL has adjusted its operating hours for serving the public during the reopening phases: Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. While a library clerk may not always be present at the window, the OPL can now boast a “ring for service” button under the driveup window by which a patron can summon a clerk for help.
At the window, patrons can return books and other materials that have been borrowed from the OPL as well as from other Midyork Library System (MYLS) libraries. System-wide, patrons will not be charged any overdue or lost-item fines until July 1 because of the shutdown during the state’s Public Health
Emergency.
Patrons can also pick up requested books, DVDS, and magazines that are owned by the OPL and currently in the library. Until further notice, the MYLS is not taking interlibrary loan requests online or by phone and has discontinued interlibrary deliveries.
The OPL, on the other hand, can satisfy a request made for available OPL materials that will be picked up at the OPL’S drive-up window, if the request is made 24 hours before pick-up.
At home, patrons should choose materials listed in the MYLS web catalog as “available” in the OPL’S collection, write down the title and author plus catalog number and either phone the library with the request (315-363-3050) or email it to OPL’S circulation (oneida@ midyork.org).
Patrons should provide with the request their individual library card numbers because a library clerk will not only retrieve the items from the shelves but also check them out for a patron before pick-up. A library clerk will call the patron, usually, the day after the request is made, to say that the requested materials are ready for pick-up.
Since patrons will not be permitted to browse the shelves, library staff members are prepared to make suggestions for
books and DVDS that may suit a patron’s tastes. For instance, while the latest book by an author may not be currently available, a staff member may suggest
earlier works by the author or titles by authors of works in the same genre.
In particular, parents interested in providing a “bundle” of picture books for young children may trust the OPL’S Youth Services Coordinator to make suitable age-appropriate selections for a general request order.
Meanwhile, the OPL is still providing online services such as Hoopla, Overdrive and Tech Connect with Amanda Mccallops. She provides one-on-one help for people having trouble with their cell phones, PCS, and devices. Library patrons can explain the problem and make an appointment by going online to https://madisontechconnect.wixsite.com/ tech/appointment.
“During the COVID-19 health crisis, the staff at the Oneida Public Library was very busy behind the scenes working from home to continue to provide online services to our library district,” Ryan said. “In addition, we used the time to enhance our technical skills so that we are ready to assist our patrons with all the exciting technology our new Main Street facility will have to offer.”
After this initial stage of the Drive-up Window, if still permitted by the state,
the OPL will inaugurate inhouse returns and pick-ups for patrons as well as limited public access by appointment only for in-house Wifi use, public computer use and one-on-one tutoring.
For more information, call the Oneida Library during its new operating hours at (315) 363-3050.