Like many people, I have not been into a library for several months. In fact, with preparations for my move from Minnesota to New Hampshire, I hadn't been into a library since early March. Until today!
My new "library home" is in Concord, New Hampshire. Like other wise institutions, the library has been closed up tight for a long time. At least, it has felt long. Now they are ready to phase in their opening, starting, like may others, with curbside pickup for requested books.
This is how it worked for me.
I went to the on-line catalog last night, Friday, and placed requests for four books: two about Bertie and Jeeves and two mysteries by Archer Mayor.
At about 9 am on Saturday, I had a phone call from the library: my books were ready to go, and I could pick them up at 12:45. Not the usual library experience, but hey...I'd already finished my sister's and brother-in-law's supply, and even a teen novel that I found in the laundry room of the apartments. I was more than ready for new books!
I couldn't hand over my library card because so far I only have a "virtual" card. By the time I moved here and served my two weeks in quarantine, I could only get a card on line. It is wonderful that just about every library I'm aware of has allowed people to do this during the pandemic, allowing people who might not visit a library to access electronic resources.
Two or three library staff were masked (as was I). They had set up shop behind a Plexiglas barrier. I handed over my card number, and received my books, already checked out. [I'll admit I was a bit disappointed that nobody seemed to notice that I had chosen my Saint Paul Public Library t-shirt for the occasion.]
Life feels one step closer to a new normal. Thank you, Concord Library.
Frankie and Teddy are waiting for me to return.
6/13/2020
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Sorry about the "verification" step; I added it after a rash of spammish comments.