Hello, library friends --
I'm writing with an update on when you might be able to visit your library again. I know we're all anxious to get back to "normal," or whatever the new normal will look like, and believe me when I say that we here at the library can't wait to see you again.
We're not quite ready to open to the public yet, however. We're still waiting for more guidance from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction on safe practices for reopening, and we're still waiting for supplies to help keep our staff and visitors safe. I know I've said this a lot lately, but I hope to have more information for you soon.
You might be wondering why the library is still closed, since retail shops are reopening and there are no legal restrictions in place. There are some differences to library service than private businesses that deserve thinking carefully about, and I thought it might be helpful to explain a few of those.
First, items have to be able to come and go from the library. Most retail stores are refusing returns right now because of the risk of contamination of items, but as you know, the library can't just refuse to take things back! We're quarantining items for 72 hours or longer and looking at any available evidence for what our best practices should be to keep everyone safe when those items make their way back to our shelves.
Second, we're seeing
evidence
that the amount of time people spend in a building makes a big difference in spreading the coronavirus. One of the great things about visiting the library is getting to browse the shelves and discover something new, so people do tend to spend a lot of time here! Many of our visitors and seasonal residents also rely on the library not just for books and movies, but also as an office-away-from-home to keep up with work while they spend time up north. We know how valuable that service is to our visitors and, therefore, to our local economy as a whole. So my difficult task is to figure out how to balance people's desire to "hang out" at the library with the need to keep the risks reasonably low for our library visitors, staff, and the whole community.
Finally, as a tax-funded institution we have to think carefully about how to serve the whole community and ensure that our policies are fair for everyone, no matter what their risk factors are. It's not just a matter of kicking people out for not following the rules -- it's a matter of making sure that our policies are based in sound evidence, equally enforced, and equitable for all of our community members.
We will remain closed to the public during the week of June 1.
Our Board of Trustees has a meeting scheduled for June 8, and I expect to have a more firm reopening date after their meeting.
In the meantime, we're still happy to provide curbside pickup and expanded online services. Please give us a call at 715-476-2366 for curbside pickup of books, movies, board games, books on CD, jigsaw puzzles, or garden seeds. Visit our website at
www.mercerpubliclibrary.org
to link to our ebook collection, Gale Courses, other databases, and links to our online events.
We're also able to do some 'paper-based' services like copying, faxing, printing, and notary services. You can hand items to us at the door for copying/faxing, email documents to me at
director@mercerpubliclibrary.org
, or use
wireless printing
to send your documents directly to our copy machine when you're on our wifi network. Our high-speed Wifi is available 24/7 in the parking lot.
Please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have questions about library services or about our response to this issue. Take care, northwoods friends!
Teresa Schmidt
Library director
715-476-2366
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Curbside pickup service
The Mercer Library is still offering curbside service, Monday-Friday 10am to 4pm or by appointment.
How does it work?
- Let us know what you need by calling 715-476-2366, emailing director@mercerpubliclibrary.org or requesting items in our online catalog.
- Drive up to the library and give us a call to let us know you're here. We appreciate it if you wear a face covering if you have to hand us items for copying or faxing.
- We'll bring your materials out to our curbside service table. Wait until we've moved away to get out of your car and grab your things.
What can you get?
- Anything that's physically in our library including books for all ages, DVDs, books on CD, board games, puzzles, telescope, and other equipment.
- Seeds from our seed library. Check out our website for a list of the seeds we have available.
- Copies and faxing: Email documents to director@mercerpubliclibrary.org or call us from the parking lot to hand us your items. We'll bring them in, copy/fax them, and bring them back out to you. These services are provided at no charge for the time being. Feel free to make a donation to the library at a later date if you like.
- Notary services: Please make an appointment with the library director.
What's NOT available?
- Our delivery service is still very limited, so we cannot request items from other libraries.
What about returning my books and movies?
- All due dates have been extended until June 19. If you do want to return items, place them in our book drop. We are instituting a 72-hour quarantine for all items to help ensure the safety of our staff and library patrons.
What's the catch?
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Food Pantry News
Louise Minisan reports that the Mercer Food Pantry will distribute another donation of milk and cheese this
Wednesday, June 3 at 8:30am
. (Note the earlier time!) There are no income restrictions or requirements, and all are welcome. This delivery will be happening every week for now, so don't hesitate to take advantage of it. They have lots to share!
The Mercer Food Pantry is normally open on Fridays 11-1. If you need delivery or have other questions, call 715-476-7655 or text 715-776-0042.
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Summer Reading Challenge and summer kids' programming
We're excited to be offering an ONLINE Summer Reading Challenge for all ages this year. Thanks to the generous support of the Friends of the Library, we'll be giving away some great prizes purchased from local businesses this year. Everyone ages 0 to 105 can participate! Stay tuned for information about "Beanstack," the online reading platform that you can use to track your reading. An offline version will be available for those who prefer it, too.
We're also partnering with "
Page Turner Adventures
" to provide online programming for kids and teens this summer. This will be connected to our
Facebook Page
, so watch the page and my email newsletters for upcoming information.
(I know that Facebook isn't ideal for everyone, and I apologize if using that platform makes it difficult for you to participate. I have to make some compromises to get everything done on such short notice, and using Facebook will keep the workload manageable for me. If you have questions about it please don't hesitate to ask.)
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Tech help and other online classes
Because of the uncertainty surrounding our reopen date, I don't have any other events on our June calendar yet. Even when the library reopens to the public we will probably keep our events online for most of the summer. However, we might experiment with an outdoor "Grown-Up Story Hour" later this month if people are interested. Stay tuned for more information.
In the meantime, if you need technology help please don't hesitate to call. I have been answering questions and providing limited tech support over the phone. We've also used GoToMeeting to chat while looking at your screen or demonstrating from my computer, and it's been working pretty well. My "Tech Tuesday" service (available any day) works best when you have questions about how to use your computer and software. If you're having hardware problems, potential malware infections, or serious operating system issues I often have to refer you to a professional.
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Online library resources
- Wisconsin's Digital Library has ebooks and audiobooks for download. (Get the "Libby" app to use them on your smartphone or tablet, too. Libby is also now available for Sonos speakers! iOS | Android | Sonos)
- Gale Courses offers hundreds of free, 6-week classes on a huge variety of topics. The next series of courses starts June 15.
- Badgerlink offers content databases for consumers, genealogists, student researchers, teachers, and everyone else.
- Ancestry Library Edition is available for genealogy research at home through the end of June. You'll need to know where to find it and what password to use, so see our website for that information.
You may need your library card number to access these resources. If you don't know your number, email
director@mercerpubliclibrary.org
and we'll look it up for you.
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Curbside hours: Monday-Friday 10am - 4pm or by appointment
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