Library Reopening FAQ
You've got questions about how we're responding to the novel coronavirus pandemic, and we've got answers! This document will be updated continually as the pandemic situation develops and changes. If you have further questions, call us at (541) 447-7978 or email library@crooklib.org.
Last update: 7/22/2020
Frequently Asked Questions
We’re quarantining returned materials for at least 96 hours. As such, an item will still appear on your account. Don’t worry, though, we’ll still get to it! And we don’t have late fines, so you don’t need to worry about being charged.
Our item quarantines may also mean that you may hit the checkout limit for your account (that's 100 items for a resident adult, 50 items for a resident child, and 3 items for a courtesy cardholder). Never fear! Bring your items to the front desk, and our staff will check them out for you.
The Children's Room remains closed until the completion of a remodeling project. New shelving is being installed that will allow for greater accessibility to library items by our littles and greater visibility in the room for parents and staff. Stay tuned for reopening details for the Children's Room. Until then, staff are happy to retrieve any items you may want from this space.
We’re trying to make sure that using our computers are as safe as possible. Keyboards, mice, and laptops are sanitized after every use. If you’d like to use a computer, please ask a staff member at the front desk.
Computer use is limited to an hour a day. While we don’t have a specific limit on the amount of time you can remain in the building, we kindly request that you limit use to two hours per day, including in the lobby, in order to give others a chance to use our services.
Thrive Central Oregon is not making in-person appointments at this time. However, you can call them at 541-728-1022 or visit their website at www.thrivecentraloregon.org.
In order to keep things as sanitary as possible, we’re not allowing eating in the building at this time. As per usual, drinks in covered/lidded containers are welcome.
The length of time depends on the service. Some services, such as open shelf browsing, likely will be permitted soon, provided that everyone using the building follows public health guidelines and library rules. Other services, such as use of the meeting rooms, likely won’t come back until the fall at the earliest. Still other changes, such as promotion of physical distancing, may not go away until the county moves into a different phase of reopening, and perhaps not until a vaccine for COVID-19 is developed.
Yes. Restroom fixtures are sanitized regularly.
We’re sanitizing high-traffic areas and surfaces in the library regularly. Every hour, we sanitize keyboards, mice, touchscreens, door handles, bathroom fixtures, the copier, self-service kiosks, and more. There’s also sanitizer available throughout the building for your use.
We’re not epidemiologists and can’t tell you the exact risk of checking out library materials. However, we can tell you that we are doing our best to make checkouts as safe as possible. Our staff regularly wash their hands and use gloves when handling materials. Returned materials are quarantined for at least 72 hours before they’re checked in or sent on hold. Our self-service kiosks are sanitized hourly throughout the day. We do not sanitize or quarantine items left in the Paperback Exchange in the lobby, however.
Yes, there is a sanitizer dispenser available in the lobby. We also have hand sanitizer and wipes available at various locations in the building.
If you’re feeling ill, we encourage you to stay home! We also understand that it’s allergy season, so sometimes people who appear sick are just having allergies. However, if you see someone who’s noticeably ill, or if you see someone not following public health guidelines, please let someone on staff know. We have procedures in place to support them and others using our building.
As librarians, we value reliable, well-sourced information. The best available evidence we’ve found suggests that the measures we’re taking will help mitigate the spread of the virus. We rely on sources such as the Crook County Health Department, Oregon Health Authority, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and World Health Organization.
We’re wearing face coverings to protect both you and ourselves. Studies have shown that they help slow the spread of coronavirus. As such, we try to leave them on whenever possible. However, if you’re hard of hearing and need to read lips, we can take the coverings off temporarily as long as we’re standing behind a sneeze guard.
Yes! Our courier is running, and you can borrow materials from any of the Central Oregon libraries or place holds on items that aren’t currently available.
We can try to borrow items via ILL that not available in our system. However, please keep in mind that libraries around the state and country are all in different stages of reopening, if they’re open at all. As such, we may have a harder time getting items, or it may take longer to find them.
Our Friends of the Library isn’t quite up and running yet, so we’re unable to accept library donations at this time.
Public health officials are understandably worried about stacks or boxes of items that people have to rifle through to find what they want. This activity is inherently more likely to transmit the virus than, say, browsing a shelf for titles and only pulling off a few items. Any magazine donations we receive will be discarded.
Yes, at your own risk. Please keep in mind that library staff do not interact with the paperback exchange items at all, so they’re neither sanitized nor quarantined. If you do take items from the exchange, we recommend quarantining them for at least 72 hours. There is no longer an overflow box for paperbacks, either.
Yes! Curbside hold pickup is available Monday-Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Just ring the the doorbell on the staff entrance (near the after-hours bookdrop).
While physically distant, in-person gatherings are allowed per current rules, they’re still discouraged by public health professionals. As such, we’re keeping the Juniper and Broughton Rooms closed for the near future. We’re also using them to quarantine returned library materials and store furniture we can’t use due to physical distancing limitations. Firefly Events and Meadow Lakes Golf Course/Ron’s Comfort Food Café are able to host events.
We’re not permitting the public to use our phones at this time.
While the High Desert Museum is open now, access is limited. For that reason, we’re unable to provide passes right now.
For your protection and ours, staff are not able to "take the wheel" during interactions involving technology. We can't touch your personal devices or any other technology that you have recently used. In most cases, we're also not able to look directly over your shoulder while we help you solve a tech problem. However, we’re happy to talk you through how to fix your problem, look at your device/screen to give you ideas, or connect you with troubleshooting resources, all while maintaining physical distance.
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Hours
Monday-Friday: 9am - 7pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday Closed
