Library
Read On: official reopening
The Pryor Library is officially reopening our doors to the public this week. I have a lot of thoughts about reopening and oscillate between feelings of anxiety and trepidation and hope with a hint of glee.
I feel like our plan to ease into reopening under the guidance of the Governor, the Health Department, and the CDC is a good one. This week, we will limit the number of people in the building to a total of 11 (but with specified numbers for each area) and require appointments for computer and copier use.
We’re asking everyone to enter the building through the East parking lot doors. There will be a staff member stationed there who can answer questions and let everyone know what to expect when you get inside. We are not requiring patrons to wear masks, but we do encourage it.
You can return materials to our outside drop box or to the staff person at the door. All materials will be wiped down with a bleach solution and quarantined for 3-4 days before being reshelved or checked back out. We need the meeting room to do this, so we have to cancel all meetings and events (including the summer events) that would have been held in the meeting room.
There is compelling evidence that staying inside a public place for prolonged periods of time with others who may be infected increases the risk of contracting the virus (even with physical distancing and masks), so we will encourage everyone to make their library trips as quick as possible and not to linger.
We have worked hard to make the library fun and inviting, so limiting access to the building in this way is rough on your library staff. We are confident this is temporary and we’ll be back to our normal shenanigans soon.
We can’t wait to see your faces (possibly in masks), we just can’t see them for very long yet.
COVID-19 Update: a message from the Director
Library Director Cari Rérat with an update on the Pryor Public Library’s plans to reopen safely.
Read On! Screen time
My kids are getting an embarrassing amount of screen time while my spouse and I are working from home. To be fair, my husband and I are getting more screen time by proxy. Our daughter (age 5), husband, and I have some recommendations based on this screen time (our son declined to participate).
Our daughter loves “The Willoughbys” on Netflix, based on the book by Lois Lowry (available on Overdrive). The Willoughby children have parents who love each other so much that there is no love left for them. The kids realize that they will be better off without their parents, so they send them on a very dangerous vacation. Adventures ensue as the children, their nanny, an orphaned baby, and a candy-maker learn what family truly is.
My daughter loves this movie because the children are “so silly and a little bit creepy.” Her favorite part is “when the children send their parents away and when the girl sings.”
“The Last Kids on Earth” on Netflix, based on the book series by Max Brallier (available in the building and on Overdrive), follows four teens as they navigate a new, scary world full of monsters and zombies. It bends several genres – adventure, horror, fantasy – while it focuses on how the four kids learn to work together as a team.
I love it because the teens work together and mature enough to reevaluate their assumptions about whether the monsters they encounter are truly a threat. Some good, subtle lessons here.
My husband recommends “Extraction” on Netflix, based on the graphic novel “Ciudad” by Ande Parks and the Russo brothers. The film is a violent, action-packed story of a mercenary hired to rescue a boy kidnapped by a drug lord with a vendetta against the boy’s father.
We haven’t explored the books for these yet, but they’re on our list for what we read next.
Read On! How to reopen
Your library staff is busy brainstorming and planning what our services will look like when we reopen. Our priority is keeping everyone – patrons and staff – safe because, while we’ve managed to flatten the curve, the virus is still out there.
Please be patient with us while we figure things out. When we reopen everyone will have some adjustments to make. For sure, we will continue to encourage social distancing. This means staff won’t be able to provide as much close-contact service, especially in our computer lab and with our copier. We’ll also likely have fewer computers available for patron use, so we’ll have to enforce time limits and reservations. We will continue to quarantine returned materials, so we may have some increased wait times.
Our biggest decision right now is about our Summer Reading Program. We will have a reading challenge similar to previous years, but we may not be able to offer the classes and events in the library that we’ve always done. As much as we hate it, this year, it may not be safe.
We will continue to work closely with City Hall and the Mayes County Health Department as we make these decisions. I can definitely say, we’re excited to see everyone again!
Now for some good news: we have started curbside pickup of Library materials!
Contact us (via phone, email, Facebook messenger, carrier pigeon, etc.) to place your order. Once everything is gathered and checked out to you, you can pick your materials up from the table we’ve set up in front of the main parking lot entrance.
Pickup day & times are:
Mondays 3 – 8 pm
Wednesdays 12 – 4 pm
Fridays 12 – 4 pm
We’re asking that orders be finalized two weekdays before pickup. We’ll keep an eye on the pickup table and wipe it down between patrons to make sure it’s clean and safe for everyone.