Reopening plan for Camas County Public Library
The Covid-19 pandemic has created an unprecedented situation for institutions serving the public, including Libraries. The Idaho Governor’s office has provided a reopening plan that outlines criteria needing to be met to progress through stages until businesses can reopen fully as usual. Libraries are not considered essential businesses under the Governor’s plan; however, we recognize that there are services that the Library provides that are difficult or impossible to obtain elsewhere in our small, rural community, such as internet access and printing. We at the Camas County Public Library (CCPL) are anxious to resume full services to our community, and are looking at guidelines provided by national and state entities (government and health care experts) to help us develop and implement a plan that will allow us to return to service. As with the state of Idaho’s plan for reopening, the Library’s plan will be implemented in phases.
The primary consideration for reopening the Library will be maintaining the safety of both employees and patrons, and to this end, we will be compliant with the protocols provided by the Idaho Governor’s office in their Stages of Reopening document. These protocols, grounded in basic best practices for preventing the spread of disease, include the following at all stages of reopening:
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Engage in physical distancing of at least six feet
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Wear face coverings in public places
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Stay home if sick
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Practice good hand hygiene
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Cover coughs and sneezes
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Disinfect surfaces and objects regularly
According with the guidelines provided by the state, we will reevaluate periodically to determine if we are able to move on to the next phase. As the state moves through the outlined phases, CCPL will follow their lead. Please note that exceptions may be made if the South Central Health District makes different recommendations specifically for our area. For more information regarding the phases of reopening provided by the Governor’s office and the criteria that must be met in order to progress through the stages, please see the outline provided at rebound.idaho.gov.
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Stage 1 (Current situation- shut down)
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The building is closed to the public. Employees may still be coming in to maintain the collections and to provide essential services, but are encouraged to do as much work as possible from home (answering the phone and email, maintaining the website and social media sites, backlogged work and training). When employees are at the Library, enhanced hygiene practices are being followed, e.g. frequent hand washing, disinfecting of high-use surfaces, and personal distancing.
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The physical collection is still available to the public through a curbside service. Patrons are encouraged to browse the online catalog and then contact us to request materials, which are checked out to them and handed out at the door. When items are returned, they are checked in and then immediately set aside in a designated area for quarantine for at least 72 hours. After quarantine, they are wiped down with disinfecting wipes and returned to the shelves.
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Operating hours are reduced to 12:30-5:30 Monday through Friday.
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All programs and meetings are canceled; however, where possible, virtual programming will be provided (e.g. story times). We will be looking for ways to provide more virtual programming as the shut down goes on.
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We know that printing is sometimes essential and that this community doesn’t have many resources for that, so we are allowing people to email documents that need to be printed and Library staff will print them and meet the patrons at the door with them.
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The community is encouraged to use the Library’s online resources, i.e. ebooks, emovies, databases, etc. Many of our vendors have enhanced their services or are offering services at no cost for a limited time. Library card numbers are required for most of these resources, so if a community member doesn’t have one, they are encouraged to call the Library and staff will take their information and create an account for them over the phone.
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The Library’s wifi is always on and is accessible from outside the building.
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Stage 2 (if/when the state’s criteria for moving to the next stage are met, currently expected to begin May 18)
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The building will reopen on a limited basis:
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Only 5 people (or one family if more than five members) will be allowed in at one time, and visits will be limited to 30 minutes. Exceptions may be made for individuals using the computer for necessary tasks that may take longer, like doing taxes or applying for unemployment or for jobs.
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Employees will wear face masks and possibly gloves to prevent spread of infection, and patrons are asked to do the same.
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Hand sanitizer will be provided and patrons asked to use it when first entering the Library and again when leaving.
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Frequent disinfecting using Lysol or Clorox wipes or spray will be done on all high-touch surfaces such as light switches and door handles.
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A plexiglass barrier will be provided to separate employees at the circulation desk from patrons.
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Materials will continue to be quarantined before being reshelved, as outlined above.
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Public access computers will be reduced to four in order to facilitate at least a 6-foot distance between patrons. Extra chairs will likewise be removed. After each use, the computer station, including the keyboard, mouse, desk, and chair will be sanitized by Library employees.
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The reduced operating hours of 12:30-5:30 will continue. The first open hour each day will be reserved for high-risk patrons, who may include:
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People ages 65 and over.
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Anyone with chronic respiratory illness (asthma, emphysema, etc.).
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Anyone with compromised immune systems stemming from chronic conditions.
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Patrons are encouraged to continue use of curbside services and electronic resources.
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Library phones will not be available for public use.
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Stage 3 (if/when the state’s criteria for moving to the next stage are met, currently expected to begin June 1)
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Operating hours will return as regularly scheduled (Mondays 12:30-7:00, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 12:30-5:30, and Thursdays 10:00-5:30).
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The first hour will continue to be reserved for high-risk patrons.
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Limits on the number of people allowed in the building at one time and the length of stay will continue as outlined above, unless determined otherwise. Patrons and employees are still encouraged to use personal protective equipment (ppe- masks and gloves) and plexiglass barriers will remain in place.
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Likewise, the number of computers available will stay reduced to four.
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Cleaning and sanitizing surfaces and materials will continue as outlined above, including quarantine of returned materials.
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The meeting room will again be available for small (fewer than 10 people) gatherings, so that appropriate physical distancing can still occur. Programming will resume if physical distancing can still be maintained.
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Curbside service will be discontinued.
Stage 4 (if/when the state’s criteria for moving to the next stage are met, currently expected to begin June 15)
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Limits on number of people allowed in the building will be lifted. Patrons and employees are still encouraged to practice physical distancing and use of ppe.
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The first hour of opening will still be reserved for high-risk patrons.
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Some public computers may be returned if demand necessitates more than four. Computer use policy (i.e. one hour time limits) will be enforced to ensure access to all who need it.
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Quarantine of returned materials will remain in place.
We hope that at some point, we will be able to return to business as usual, and will continue to look to state and national guidelines for when that can happen. However, it is also possible that we are looking at a “new normal”, where limitations on available services continue, or that depending on the course of this pandemic we may have to return to a previous stage or stay in a stage longer than anticipated. As Library staff we are looking for ways we can continue to serve our community even when we may have to make adjustments to services we can provide. We appreciate the support and cooperation of our community as we go through this together.