Coronavirus (COVID-19) Updates
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May 18 until further notice:
- Curbside service continues (Monday-Friday, 8-5) at Mounce and Ringer.
- Libraries are open for limited hours, and occupancy is at 50 percent.
- Mounce Library will be open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 9 AM to 1 PM, and Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, 1 PM to 5 PM. The number of people allowed in at one time will be limited to 70.
- Ringer Library will be open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 1 PM to 5 PM, and Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, 9 AM to 1 PM. The number of people allowed in at one time is limited to 90.
- The Carnegie History Center will be open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 1 PM to 5 PM, and Tuesday and Thursday, 9 AM to 1 PM. The number of people allowed in at one time is limited to 16.
During curbside hours and open hours, libraries may be contacted by phone (Mounce 979-209-5600, Ringer 979-764-3416, Carnegie 979-209-5630). Libraries may also be contacted through
www.bcslibrary.org/contact
or through social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram).
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Please use the
outside book drops. Even if you are coming into the building or doing curbside, you will need to use the outside book drops to return any items.
The
Family Place areas at both Ringer and Mounce libraries will not have toys for the foreseeable future.
At this time, visiting the library needs to be "
Come and Go" and there may be a waiting time because of the limited number of people allowed in at one time. If a limit is reached, please expect
wait time to enter the building.
Please practice
social distancing while visiting our libraries. Keep 6 feet back from people who are not with you, and these guidelines include distance from our staff. To keep yourself and others safe, please wear a face covering. If you have any symptoms of illness (particularly fever), please stay home.
All items checked out during the library's closure have had their due dates set to
June 1. The outdoor book drops are open if you would like to return something, but you will not be penalized if you decide to keep the items out until June 1. If you have checked something out since the libraries reopened, it may have a different due date; please check your account or contact the library if you are unsure.
Interlibrary loan update: The library system is not currently taking new interlibrary loan requests. If you have an interlibrary loan item checked out, you may continue to hang onto it for now, or you may return it in one of the library outdoor book drops if you prefer. The library will let you know when these items need to be returned. For more information, see
www.bcslibrary.org/interlibrary-loan or contact Teresa at
tbaldwin@bryantx.gov or (979) 209-5614.
Meeting rooms, conference rooms, and study rooms are currently not available.
Computers are available, but due to social distancing, only some of the computers will be in service, and times are limited to one hour.
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For the safety of both patrons and staff, the library system is quarantining all items that are returned for a full 72 hours. When you turn an item in at one of the outdoor book drops, it will be 3 or 4 days until that item shows up as checked in and comes off of your account. Please wait until that amount of time has passed before contacting the library about items not showing up as checked in. Your patience is appreciated.
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The library system is currently providing virtual programming. Please use our contact form for more information, to let us know your opinion, or to sign up for anything that requires an invitation. If an event lists a specific contact for Zoom invitations, emailing the specific person is recommended.
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Due to coronavirus guidelines, Ringer Library's author visit with Martha Wells has been converted to a virtual visit, which will take place over Zoom. We will be discussing Martha Wells's latest book,
Network Effect, the first full-length Murderbot Diaries novel which just came out May 5.
The event will still be on Saturday, May 30, from 2:00 to 3:30 PM local time. We will be using a Zoom waiting room. To attend, please contact Kendra at
kperkins@bryantx.gov with your name and email address to receive an invitation. If you may need to call into the Zoom meeting, please also include your phone number so that it will be recognized when you try to connect to the meeting.
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Ringer Library is taking preliminary applications for this year's
TEENS Publish
summer program. Contact Kendra at
kperkins@bryantx.gov
during the month of May to express interest or to get more information. This free program for teens (current 7th-12th graders) who are interested in writing fiction (short story or novel excerpt) or poetry to be published in an anthology will be virtual this year. Meetings will be held over Zoom on Wednesday afternoons in June and July. Participants will be expected to write outside of the Zoom meetings.
The 2020 program will be limited to 12 to 15 participants. For 2020, writing samples will be requested rather than taking the first dozen applicants. Please wait for a reply before sending a sample. This program is coordinated by local author Molly Blaisdell and Ringer librarian Kendra Perkins. It has been taking place each summer since 2015. Anthologies from previous years may be checked out from Ringer and Mounce libraries.
If interested, email Kendra with your (or your teen's, if the parent is the one emailing) name, age, grade, contact info, and let us know if both the teen and parent are okay with Zoom meetings. Although at least most of the meetings will be virtual, participation is limited to local teens (within the Brazos Valley). If safety guidelines allow, there will be an author party in the fall when teens will be able to read excerpts.
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Elaine and Jenny add video recordings to Mounce's Facebook page weekly.
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Don't let your construction abilities gather dust! Ms. Liz will be bringing you weekly building challenges using items you probably already have. The newest challenge is
Mastering Balance.
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Ringer Library librarian Hilary shows you how to make a bird feeder using yarn. Because our crafting group can not meet in person, we created a
Let's Get Crafty video playlist on Facebook.
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Email Debbie at
dcallaway@bryantx.gov and tell her which Master Gardener videos you watched and/or liked. Include your first and last name and phone number. After the libraries reopen, there will be a drawing for a gift card, and Debbie will contact the winners to let them know they have won.
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Most book clubs have moved their meetings online for now, and a few are waiting to possibly meet in person. If you have a preference or need an invitation to one of the virtual meetings, contact the appropriate librarian via email or through our
online contact form.
Monday, May 18, 6:30 PM
Use
contact form by Sunday, May 17 if you would like an
invite (required) to the virtual meeting or for more information; we will forward to Peggy
Tuesday, May 19, 6 PM
Tuesday, May 26, 6 PM,
special meeting (rescheduled from March)
Dune by Frank Herbert
Friday, May 29, 1 PM
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Scholastic Book Fairs has set up a Summer Read-a-Palooza Virtual Book Fair for Ringer Library from May 11 to September 4. All items ordered will be shipped to the purchaser's home. Proceeds will be used to help the library system purchase books that will be used as summer prizes for children and teens. For more information or to visit the fair, see
bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/ringerlibrary. If you need help from a librarian, please contact Kendra at
kperkins@bryantx.gov.
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Read-Alouds and Similar Items
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As we find out about more read-alouds that you can watch and listen to from home, posting of them will be available on all social media pages.
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Author/Illustrator Tony DiTerlizzi (co-creator of
The Spiderwick Chronicles) is doing daily sketching sessions on Facebook Live, and each episode is in his Facebook page's video directory so prerecorded episodes may be watched. There are currently 46 "Drawn to Fantasy" videos. Go to the
videos tab or start with
episode 1.
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Chapter read-alouds are being added, one chapter per week, to
Harry Potter at Home. The
third chapter of
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was read by Eddie Redmayne (Newt Scamander from the
Fantastic Beasts movie), and the
fourth chapter was read by Stephen Fry (British actor, narrator of the UK version of the Harry Potter audiobooks). The video read-alouds include artwork submitted by readers. There are
instructions for readers who would like to submit artwork for some of the remaining chapters and possibly have the artwork appear in a video.
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Book Clubs Deciding How to Meet (online or in person)
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Some clubs are waiting to determine whether their next meeting in June will be in person or over Zoom. Please contact the library or the specific person in charge or the book club to find out more or to express an opinion. If the meetings are held over Zoom, registration will be required.
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Tuesday, June 2, 6 PM
Contact Hilary at
handerson@bryantx.gov to confirm whether this meeting will be online, and if so, to request a Zoom invite
Monday, June 8, 6 PM
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
Contact Ashley at
areed@bryantx.gov to confirm whether this meeting will be online, and if so, to request a Zoom invite
- Meyer Book Club - discussing On What Grounds (The Coffeehouse Mysteries, #1) by Cleo Coyle, a cozy mystery, tentatively scheduled for June 10 at the Meyer Center. Please contact Kendra at kperkins@bryantx.gov for more information and to let us know if you would be interested in meeting over Zoom, especially if meeting in person is not possible on that date.
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Book Clubs with Postponed Meetings
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Physical meetings of book clubs have been cancelled for now. Most book clubs have moved to virtual meetings, and others have shifted their dates and plan to meet in person.
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Visit with us on social media.
BCSPLS Facebook page
Mounce Library Facebook page
Ringer Library Facebook page
Carnegie Facebook page
Ringer Twitter account
BCSPLS instagram account
Friends of the Library GoodReads group
BCSPLS Pinterest page
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The Chilton Library contains auto repair information for many cars from the past 30 years. You can look up a model and year and pull up schematics to view online or print out.
Chilton Library is one of the TexShare databases. To access it, select the Bryan+College Station Public Library System from the list of libraries and enter the password. To get the password, you must have a valid BCSPLS library card, and you can ask a librarian for the password. From the main TexShare screen, select the alphabetical list to find Chilton.
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Links to Library Digital Resources and Descriptions
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Some of the library's electronic resources authenticate based on following a link from our website. Others require a library card or a password. If you are asked for a password, please use the
online contact form, message the library through social media, or call 979-209-5600 (Mounce), 979-764-3416 (Ringer), or 979-209-5630 (Carnegie).
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As a result of the library's temporary closure, we are now offering temporary
Virtual eCards to Brazos County residents who have been unable to come in and get a library card. Virtual eCards are good for three months and will allow you to access the library's eBooks and eAudiobooks. For more information or to apply for a Virtual eCard, see
bcslibrary.org/ecard. Virtual cards provide you access to our electronic resources. To place a hold on a physical item, you will need to come into one of our libraries to get a regular library card during the hours that the library is open for patrons.
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SYNC: Audiobooks for Teens
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SYNC is a free program provided by
AudioFile Magazine that provides two electronic audiobooks per week. The titles are suggested for ages 13 and up, but adults may also participate. The third set of titles (
Faust and
Stalking Jack the Ripper) are available until 11 PM on Wednesday, May 20, at which time the next two titles (
Sisters Matsumoto and
Disappeared) will be available for one week. For this year's program, readers should go to
www.audiobooksync.com and register (enter their email) and will use the Sora app or
soraapp.com to borrow books during their designated week. Instead of selecting a school, readers will put "audiobooksync" as their setup code. Titles are checked out for 100 years, and as long as they do not return the eBook they have borrowed, readers can download them again. Instructions for this year's program can be found at
www.audiobooksync.com/faqs-2020, and readers may contact a librarian if they need further help. A library card is not required for this program.
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Links to More Information
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Things are changing at a rapid pace, so please check the City of Bryan's website, City of College Station's website, and the library's website for updated information.
The library system has created a page with links to official information about what the cities are doing about the COVID-19 virus and to make sure everyone knows their options for accessing library and other resources from home. We will update the information at
www.bcslibrary.org/the-library-and-covid-19
as we receive more information.
The City of Bryan has created a page to post updates related to the coronavirus. For updated information from the City of Bryan, see
www.bryantx.gov/coronavirus
.
The City of College Station has created a page to post updates related to the coronavirus. See
CSTX.GOV/COVID19
for updated information from the City of College Station.
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1000 Books Before Kindergarten
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The 1000 Books Before Kindergarten backpacks may now be put on hold and checked out. Ringer Library has 100 backpacks which each contain 10 books. In the catalog, type in "1000 Books Before Kindergarten" to see what we have. There is a record for each backpack, and the backpacks are numbered. The backpacks each have a sheet listing the books that are included, and the catalog includes the contents (list of which 10 books are included in a particular backpack). This program is funded by the Friends of the Library. For more information, see
1000booksbeforekindergarten.org or contact Michelle at
mbond@bryantx.gov or (979) 764-3416.
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Tax Information from the AARP and IRS
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Anyone unable to complete an income tax return by July 15 can fill out
form 4868 to request an
extension. (Note: This extends the deadline for filing out the return but does not affect the payment deadline).
To check the status of your return, go to
www.irs.gov/refunds or the
IRS2Go app. Enter your social security number, filing status, and exact refund amount to check your status.
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