New Due Dates, New Procedures for Library
Do you know where your library books are? If not, it’s time to look for them.
The Swarthmore Public Library will begin accepting returns on Monday, June 8, says director Amber Osborne. Materials will be quarantined for 72 hours, then checked in.
The new due date for everything is Monday, June 22. But you’ll need to return things by Friday, June 19, because of the three-day quarantine, Osborne explains.
To help spread out the return of the thousands of items currently in the homes of Swarthmoreans, the library asks:
If your street number or apartment number is even, return your items Monday, Wednesday, or Friday.
If your street number or apartment number is odd, return your items Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday.
Once the Delaware County moves into the yellow phase of reopening on June 5, staff will begin to work on-site again. No more than three staff will work in the building at one time.
No patrons will be allowed in the library yet.
Grab-and-Go Books
Patrons will be able to check out materials beginning on or around June 16. This is how it will work:
You will request a book online or over the phone. Then you will arrange for a pick-up time with staff. When you get to the library, you will call and let the librarians know you have arrived. A staff member will put your materials in a bag and put the bag on a table in the lobby of Borough Hall outside the library doors. Once the librarian retreats, you can pick up your bag.
In-person programs remain on hold for now. “We love them and are anxious to bring them back!” Osborne says. Probably smaller programs like book clubs will begin first. “We intend to continue offering online programs, activities, and story times in the meantime,” Osborne says.
Summer Reading Programs
Registration for Summer Quest 2020 is beginning. Summer Quest comprises a range of programs to encourage summer reading at every level, from preschoolers to adults. This year, readers will use a new, online platform called Beanstack to log their reading, post reviews, and complete challenges, earning badges to mark their progress.
Delaware County has set a goal of having participants read 5,000 books this summer.
More information about Summer Quest 2020 and other summer programs.
