PORT ALLEGANY — The S.W. Smith Memorial Public Library will begin welcoming patrons back into the library building on July 21.
Entrance to the building will be on an appointment-only schedule and patrons must wear a nose and mouth covering mask when inside the library. COVID-19 precautions are in place and the library staff is following all CDC and PA Department of Health small business guidelines. COVID-19 precautions keep the library and the community safe.
Some library services will remain suspended and some areas of the library will remain inaccessible, but patrons may enter the building to browse and use available services.
Patron re-entrance to the library building will move at a gradual pace. Entrance will be by appointment only and initially will only be offered from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays and from 1 to 6 p.m. Thursdays.
In consideration of the library’s building capacity, closed rooms, and number of staff on duty, the library will allow eight patrons into the library at the top of the hour. They will be given a 30-minute appointment — i.e., 11-11:30am. At the bottom of the hour, once the patrons exit the library building, the library staff will clean all high touch areas, computers, public restrooms, the water fountains, and place any unwanted or returned books in quarantine before the next group of patrons arrive at the top of the hour — i.e., 12-12:30pm.
This type of schedule keeps the building at a low capacity, keeps Limited Stacks Service and Library To-Go Window Service manageable by two library staff, and gives the library staff enough time to clean every hour per CDC and PA Dept of Health regulations.
As the weeks progress, the library hopes to add more Limited Stacks days/times to the week. Library staff will continue offering virtual library services and programming and will maintain the Library To-Go Window service until the library is fully operational.
The library reports that Library To-Go Window service has been very successful. In June, 1,115 patrons accessed library materials and services at the window, and the library staff distributed 345 USDA summer snacks and 74 Library To-Go Kits to children at the Library To-Go Window.
The library staff moved the furniture inside the library so that it is either put away or 6 feet apart. Six-foot social distancing signs and floor marks are present. All the toys and puzzles have been temporarily removed.
Children will have to stay with their adults so that the adults can manage what they touch. The Community Room will not be available for public use; the library staff needs the room for extra furniture, Library To-Go Window service, and quarantine procedures. There are five public computers available (three in the adult computer areas, one in Young Adult, and one in Children’s).
“Yuck Bins” have been placed in front of library shelf end caps. Yuck Bins are for library materials that patrons handle, but do not want to borrow. “Yuck Bin” library materials cannot return to circulation until they are quarantined. Pens will be given to patrons to keep and will not be returned to a community pen cup.
Patrons will not be permitted entry to the library without a nose and mouth covering mask, as per the PA Department of Health regulation for small business. Patrons who cannot or will not wear a mask have the option to be served at the Library To-Go Window. A sign on the interior door of the library will direct patrons to wear a mask, wash up, enter at the appointment time, spread out, exit at appointment time, and knock or call for assistance if no appointment is set.
Patrons may either wash their hands with soap and water in the public restrooms or use the hand sanitizer station near the interior door before entering the library. Additional hand sanitizing stations are in the main library.
Library materials and services that will remain unavailable in Phase 3 Limited Stacks include newspapers, toys and games, access to the Community Room, access to the foyer on the corner of Maple/Pine Streets, indoor library programs or meetings, and access to library materials currently in return bins, Yuck Bins, and quarantine.
Questions or concerns may be directed to library Director Mary Grace Collier-Kisler at
(814) 642-9210 or swsmith@swsmithlibrary.org. Patrons may call to schedule their Limited Stacks entrance appointment.
