Director’s Thoughts – 05/20/2020

It’s been a few months since I posted about our staff training day back in February. And so much has changed! Our library has been closed to the public since March 13 and it will be a bit longer before we can even begin to bring our staff into the building.

Since then, I’ve had to furlough my part-time staff, adjust the library’s budget, help to re-plan our summer reading program, and have spent countless hours worrying about my staff’s safety.

My brain runs these questions through my head every day:

• What does re-opening look like?
• When can I begin bringing staff back?
• How do I ensure the safety of our staff members?
• When will the library look like it used to?
• What do I do?

A glimpse into my mind and heart

I’m not writing this post looking for sympathy. I took this job knowing full well that it would be hard. (A global pandemic wasn’t necessarily on my radar, but so it is.) I feel as though I have been run through the wringer and then just when I think we’re moving forward, another decision is made and we start all over again.

Rather, I’m writing this to share a glimpse of my life as a director. I took this job because I know how important libraries are to their communities and I wanted the chance to do everything I could for my community. It broke my heart when I had to tell my staff that they were furloughed. I am stressed about keeping a library relevant when the library as a place is non-existent. I’m anxious about what we can do to keep my staff and our patrons as safe as possible in the coming months.

Not only that, but I have also said, “I don’t know” countless times in the past eight weeks. I walk into a darkened library every few days and feel like I’ve time traveled. The displays we have up are all from March, the returned material remains at the desk, and everything is silent. I have a turtle living on my kitchen countertop because how could I leave him in the dark and quiet library for the past two months? I have written, re-written, scrapped, created, and shared re-opening plans with multiple phases, color-coding them to our state’s phased re-opening and still have so much to think about, figure out, and plan.

The library is more than this

But at the end of the day, the library never closed. We’re open all the time. My staff has concerns about their health and safety, but are also ready and waiting to get back into the building and until that day they continue to serve the public from home. Some adults are requesting library cards that never had one before. We’re teaching people how to find reliable information online. We’re partnering with the school district and the senior center to share where people can find great books to read together while apart.

We will have a summer reading program, even if it’s virtual (with paper logs for those who want and need them.) We’re offering virtual storytime for families with young children because entertaining a child for 20 minutes can be a lifesaver. On Facebook, we’re sharing books we love for older kids to discover. We’re offering Zoom classes and Facebook videos for our adults about social security, wellness, and more. We are still a part of our community.

And as much as we believe that a library is a place for people to connect. We’re still connecting. It may look a little different now, but I’m still a librarian and I’m doing everything in my power to serve my community. Because that’s why I do this job.