Libraries are often a refuge for people who need information - and a place where people without internet access can go for things like printing and business services. Some library leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic had to make tough decisions, like whether to stay open, limit access and offer curbside check-out services for their communities while being cognizant of the virus.
Terri Crawford is the director for Watonga Public Library. She says the pandemic really started to hit home around April when the area saw its first case.
“The city told us to close the library and we closed for about two-and-a-half weeks,” Crawford said.
During that period the library’s three full-time staff members continued to work, even though there weren’t any customers coming in.
“We started pushing bags of books out,” Crawford said. “We would have people order them either online or by phone and we would bag them up for them and set them outside or they could come in the door and pick them up.”
In addition to writing up a COVID-19 policy and buying protection equipment like shields for counters, they also had to implement new technology to help the transition to mostly online services.
“It was honestly probably a bit overwhelming at the beginning because there were so many pieces that had to change,” Crawford said. “The technology part was probably the hardest bit, going from doing everything live and in-person to everything virtual as far as programming.”
The library initially limited the number of people coming in - but has since decided to gradually open back up.
Karen Gilliland is well-known among Watonga’s younger population. Gilliland is the children’s librarian who acts as Mother Goose for their Mother Goose Storytime program.
When the pandemic closed the library down, she worked quickly to move her scheduled summer reading program online. That meant completely restructuring the program and reaching out to already booked performers individually to see if they had virtual options.
They also had to work on implementing a new technology system for an online reading program. The library also made sure to send kids home with lesson plans and supplies needed for the reading program.
“I really had to go from May to June learning that software, inputting all of the programming in there,” Gilliland said. “I never knew I needed to learn so many things. I had to learn how to do Zoom… I had to learn how to film myself.”
Gilliland also started doing her Mother Goose Storytime all online in September. Staff filled around 150 bags full of musical instruments, a small stuffed animal pig and a scarf for the children to have during her readings.
“I wanted to be live so that I could see the kids and react with the kids and be able to talk with them, but it just wasn't going to be possible to do that with everybody, Gilliland said.
She said it’s been especially hard not to see the people she was used to helping pre-COVID-19, but she said the temporary absence does make the heart grow fonder.
“I get really excited when I see them now,” Gilliland said.
The challenges that Watonga Public Library had to overcome at the start of the pandemic were what other libraries both in Oklahoma and around the nation were facing.
Cathy Blackman is the president of the Oklahoma Library Association. She says the curbside pick-up option many libraries have implemented was something not widely used before the pandemic.
She also said while children librarians are trying to get creative about going virtual and keeping their communities engaged, it can bring up some issues.
“Having to work out those copyright issues for those online story times - that’s a whole ‘nother can of worms,” Blackman said.
In response to the worries of violating copyright laws, many publishers have temporarily altered their policies.
Other challenges that libraries have been dealing with include deciding when to allow more people to use their services, having more ebooks available, hiring freezes, sanitization and allowing libraries to check out hotspots for people without internet access.
Blackman, who works at Cameron University Library, said there was a time when students who needed access would come and park outside the library to use their internet.
“Our library director worked with some other people on campus to get like laptops or tablets so students who had no access to that type of technology would have something where they could go in and log-on,” Blackman said.
She said she expects that people will want libraries to have more online offerings available since the need for them has increased because of the pandemic.
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