To view or leave comments on this story, click HERE.
With bated breath, we are pleased to announce that Peninsula Community Library will open its doors on Monday, June 22, to patrons! The Board and Staff of PCL have been preparing for weeks to ensure your safety as we slowly resume services.
However, the world we were in when you last walked out our door is not the same as the one in which we all exist now.
Old Mission Gazette is Reader Supported.
Click Here to Keep the Gazette Going.
Masks Are Required
First off, a mask or face covering is required, plain and simple. These must be worn properly over mouth and nose. We are a government entity and must abide by the Executive Order. Don’t have a mask? Forgot it at home? Ask us for one free of charge.
We have even set up a special table in the entryway where kids can decorate their own if they don’t have one – just ask the staff for a kit! Children under the age of two are not required to have face coverings for their own well being!
Under the Weather? Please Stay Home!
If you suffer from a chronic respiratory disease, allow us to serve you curbside so that we can keep you safe!
However, if you are ill, have been exposed to someone who might have Covid-19, have experienced recent chills, elevated temperature, loss of taste or smell, new or worsening cough, shortness of breath, vomiting or diarrhea, or have been ordered to self isolate, DO NOT ENTER THE LIBRARY OR REQUEST CURBSIDE SERVICE. Do your part to keep PCL open!
Hand Sanitizer, Coffee Bar & More
As you enter the building, we ask that you use the hand sanitizer we have provided. There are instructions from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on washing your hands in the restrooms. Wash frequently!
Note that some doors are propped open. They must remain that way. And, while we have always allowed you to enjoy your beverage and snacks here at PCL, neither is allowed for the time being. You may partake of them outside, but cart your trash off with you.
The Coffee Bar, as well as the drinking fountains, are closed by order of the Grand Traverse County Health Department.
Laptops, Wifi & Limited Seating
As always, you may bring in your personal laptop or smart device. Our laptops are also available for one hour usage per visit. They will be disinfected per CDC guidelines between each use.
Our WiFi is up and running 24/7. You may access it anytime from our parking lot or outdoor areas. Note that indoor seating areas are shielded, and upholstered furniture has been covered or stored. Seating is limited.
Of course, we are all now very familiar with social distancing. You must keep six feet away from anyone who does not live in your immediate household. We are a rural Library. We ask that you limit your time in the building to one hour so that others may enjoy PCL, too.
Returned Books are Quarantined
In case you are wondering, items that are returned to PCL are quarantined in the Community Room for 72 hours before being checked in and returned to our shelves.
For the same reason, we ask that when you are browsing items in the library to place items removed from our shelves on a cart. Those, which have not been in your hands for as long, will be returned to their places the next day. These guidelines are recommended by the American Library Association in conjunction with the CDC.
No worries about late fines – everything has been automatically renewed until July 31 through the wonder of technology.
Some Rooms Are Closed For Now
You will notice that some items and rooms may not be available for now. The Local History Room, the small meeting room, and the Community Room are closed to the public, as are staff areas.
While you may take puzzles, games and magazines home to enjoy, they may not be used in the library. Newspapers are not available for now, and our book sale shelves are off limits. Let your children know that the toys they love are taking a nap but are safe for someday.
You are welcome to help yourself to books in our Little Free Library out front, just don’t return items there. We are in the process of setting up a second free library just for kids, thanks to patron Fred Zwemer! For now, we are not accepting donations of used books, as our Book Sale has been cancelled for the season.
Summer Programming is Happening – With a Few Changes
You are probably wondering about the great programming we traditionally offer all summer. Summer Reading Club (SRC) is happening with some fabulous virtual performers. Takeout bags filled with crafts, activities, recipes and giveaways will be available for registered families each week of SRC.
Teen programs will be offered, as well. Registration will be available on our website beginning June 25. The theme this year is “Imagine Your Story,” and we all have tales to tell!
Pageturners, our book discussion group, is also happening in the ZOOM!
Be sure to check our website this summer. Our required “Pandemic Response Plan” is available there for your perusal, as well as other info on coping during these strange times!
Curbside Service is Still Available
Well, I have written a novel here for you. After all this, if you still feel uncomfortable coming into the Library, know that we will be offering curbside delivery all summer. Go online to place your holds or call us! When you receive notification that your holds are in, pull into the coned spaces at the Library and give us a call. Pop your trunk and we will put your items in. Don’t know what you want to read but have a favorite genre? Let the staff choose a few favorite selections for you!
So what does this all come down to? It is a heartfelt promise from the PCL Board and I that all of you are our family. We will do our part to try and keep you virus free, and I know you will do yours to keep my staff and other patrons safe! We are in this together. That is what families do!
Here Are the New Hours
Monday and Thursday, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. (curbside ends at 6:45)
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. (curbside ends at 4:45)
Saturday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. (curbside ends at 1:45)
If you have any questions, feel free to call the library, (231) 223-7700.
Cannot wait to see you! Welcome home!
SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER: I started Old Mission Gazette in 2015 because I felt a calling to provide the Old Mission Peninsula community with local news. After decades of writing for newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Family Circle and Ladies' Home Journal, I really just wanted to write about my own community where I grew up on a cherry farm and raised my own family. So I started my own newspaper.
Because Old Mission Gazette is a "Reader Supported Newspaper" -- meaning it exists because of your financial support -- I hope you'll consider tossing a few bucks our way if I mention your event, your business, your organization or your news item, or if you simply love reading about what's happening on the OMP. In a time when local news is becoming a thing of the past, supporting an independent community newspaper is more important now than ever. Thank you so much for your support! -Jane Boursaw, Editor/Publisher, Old Mission Gazette
To keep the Gazette going, click here to make a donation.
To view or leave comments on this story, click HERE.
[…] the Peninsula Community Library is now open! Read more about all the various protocols in place here. Note that masks are required by order of the State of […]
[…] Community Library is very much here for you no matter what hygge means to you! We look a little different. Our programs and services may be offered in less familiar ways. However, the same friendly staff […]