Nassau County’s libraries are reopening with limited services after being closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The news came from County Executive Laura Curran at her daily briefing on Tuesday, which took place outside the Farmingdale Public Library.
“Today we’re here to discuss another really important institution that has been working to adapt and offer residents their beloved services, and I’m talking about our local libraries,” Curran said. “Most of the 54 libraries in Nassau are now or will soon offer contactless services. Thirty-two libraries have contactless services available, and seven are starting next week.”
The county executive added that others will begin offering curbside pickup and delivery services, and would be implementing sanitizing procedures to make sure the books were safe to lend again.
“Libraries have been working to adapt their facilities for additional onsite services that will always put the safety of their employees and patrons first,” Curran said. “Because each facility is unique and community needs and services do vary, some buildings are just easier to adapt than others.”
Over the summer, Curran said, the libraries “would continue to provide a robust slate of virtual programs to keep kids and families engaged.”
“This is a hard time for kids, very social creatures, they’re away from their peer group and it’s very difficult for them, so they should be able to engage online,” Curran said.
Joining Curran at the briefing was Nassau County Library System Director Caroline Ashby.
“As [Curran] mentioned, our libraries are coming on board for contactless vending again in the month of June,” Ashby said. “Screens for most of us have been ruling our lives over the past several months … but so many of us are looking to get a book back into our hands or put a DVD into our players, so we’re excited to get our materials back into the hands of our patrons.”
Ashby noted that she had visited a number of libraries the day before, including the Mineola Public Library, which she said was “ready for you.”
“The staffs are very excited to see patrons again,” Ashby said. “And we thank you for that.”
Among the North Shore libraries, the Great Neck Library and Mineola Public Library are currently offering curbside pickup for materials with the library being open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays. The Port Washington Library, while not open for pickup, is allowing its patrons to return materials in order to quarantine and sanitize them to begin setting the stage for loaning them out again.
The Williston Park Library will take the most advanced steps, being open for browsing Monday to Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with vestibule pickup available during those hours. Visitors will be asked to social distance and wear a face covering, and their time will be limited to 30 minutes. The children’s room will only allow one family at a time.
The Bryant Library in Roslyn is offering curbside pickup on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to its website.
Efforts to reach the public libraries in Roslyn and Manhasset were unavailing.
Curran encouraged interested residents to contact their libraries for any further questions, and noted that the facilities “never stopped working,” with over 6,000 requests for new library cards received during the pandemic.
“People really did see the value of their local libraries,” Curran said.
