The Great Neck Library is looking at plans to slowly begin the process of reopening for the first time since the COVID-19 crisis began in March.
Tracy Van Dyne, acting director of the Great Neck Library, said that as of Monday the main library and its branches are open for curbside pickup for books and media Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“Everything has been moving along fantastic,” Van Dyne said during the Great Neck Library Board of Trustees meeting on Tuesday. “We’re hoping to very soon add Saturday back too. We didn’t want to open up to a full schedule and have this [virus] come back full force.”
Under CDC guidelines, all items that have been returned have been quarantined for 72 hours before being checked and reshelved.
Plans for phase three of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan to reopen New York state, officially began across Long Island on Wednesday, which allowed for businesses in food service and personal care to reopen with under 50 percent of normal staffing provided employees adhere to strict social distancing regulations.
“We’re looking to let the public back into the building by appointment,” Van Dyne said. “It will all depend on the direction from the governor.”
While there has not been any indication as to when, phase four of Cuomo’s plan will target the reopening of the arts, entertainment, recreation, development and higher education.
Van Dyne said the library is required to have a reopening plan in place before the next phase, which she estimates will start sometime around July 14 provided there is not an unexpected spike in the number of COVID-19 patients.
She also said the library is considering a small in-house programming team, more staff, more virtual programming and the possibility of reopening the Lakeville and Station branches as well. A special meeting was set for July 28 to discuss plans for the Station branch.
