Dear CLC members and friends,
We miss you and we hope this message finds you well. We wanted to share another update on what we're doing to support you and your library during these unprecedented times.
PRESERVING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY.
CLC is a membership organization, and as such we feel that this is an important time to decrease isolation and continue to connect with each other. To that end:
- Next week, we're hosting two virtual roundtable meetings on "Library Service During COVID-19." Discussions will be held via Zoom and are open to all. Sign-in information will be sent with your registration confirmation. Click on your preferred session for details & registration: Monday 3/23 at 1:00pm or Thursday 3/26 at 10:00am. Please join the CLC staff and your colleagues from around the state.
- We are working with our roundtable chairs on ways to continue their meetings via video/teleconferencing, so look for more virtual roundtable meetings soon. You can find all meetings on our calendar.
MAKING IT EASY TO FIND RESOURCES.
CLC has a clearinghouse of resources to help you and your users during this time of social distancing:
www.ctlibrarians.org/covid19
.
Our primary goal is to provide you with resources from our vendors, partners, and others that will help you serve library users who are working and learning from home.
Here is some of what you'll find on this continuously-updated page:
- We have reached out to all of our vendor/partners and asked them to share with us any special resources and benefits they are offering during this time. We are also collecting information from other vendors that have provided or expanded access to their products and services. New resources are being added daily.
- Many of you are working remotely. Now may be a great time to learn something new. Check our page for a variety of virtual learning opportunities for library staff.
- Distance learning is being implemented for students of all ages. For those of you interested in providing hotspots, in addition to our current offerings, we are working on a special COVID-19 short-term package; watch for an announcement soon. In addition, our page has resources and tips for managers and administrators transitioning staff, students, etc. to working and learning from home.
PLANNING FOR WHEN YOU REOPEN.
While it may seem like a distant concern at the moment, we are working to help you meet some new challenges that will arise when you reopen your doors:
- We know you will not only need to deep-clean your materials and buildings, but also restore public trust and confidence in the library as a safe place to visit. We will be providing PR communication tips, and hopefully some resources to help you more efficiently disinfect your materials.
- When we do reopen, some of our users' needs will have changed drastically. For one, there will be more job seekers. We already have discounts on some key products and services like JobNow and ReferenceUSA, and we will be offering product training webinars to those of you who are also looking toward the future.
CLC staff continue to work during this period. Tracy and I are in the office (at opposite ends of the building); all other staff members are working remotely. Please
reach out to us
for support, and to share ideas and challenges. We want to help. Libraries are usually places of shelter and community, and we know it is heartbreaking to not be able to welcome and assist our users in the ways that we would like. Together we will find new ways to serve those in need.
Thank you for all that you do.
Warmly,
