Belleville Area District Library reopens for ‘Grab and Go’ visits

The Belleville Area District Library’s Grab and Go service was softly rolled out on July 30 and is now being actively publicized, library director Mary Jo Suchy told the library board at its 36-minute, virtual RingCentral Teleconference on Aug. 11.
Director Suchy said they put all the chairs away so people can’t sit down and read and children can’t sit in the play area.
The Grab and Go is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays.
Suchy said patrons may browse on the first floor and children’s room, get library cards, pick up holds, fax, scan, and copy.
“We are asking that they limit their visit to 30 minutes due to the state’s 25% occupancy requirement,” she said. “Masks and social distancing are also required.”
She said currently a greeter is being stationed outside of the building and curbside service is still available.
Plexiglas has been installed around the first-floor reference desk.
She said the staff reopening committee is working on a comprehensive plan to reopen the second floor and provide computers while following all of the occupancy, social distancing, and other requirements.
“We have not forgotten about the branch,” Suchy said of the media center in Sumpter Township. “I had hoped by now that we would be in Phase 5 and occupancy limits would be increased. 25% occupancy of the branch is about five people.”
Suchy said she attended a webinar on the REALM study that tested how long the COVID virus could possibly last on the surface of a variety of library items. She said, in short, the virus was detectable but not measurable after two days and not detectable after four days.
“Most libraries, including us, quarantine returning items for three days,” Suchy said. “There has not yet been a known case of the virus being transmitted through library materials.”
She said the webinar was being viewed by libraries throughout the United States, as well as a handful of libraries world wide. When surveyed, 38% of the libraries attending the webinar had partially reopened. 43% had some or all staff on site, but were not open to the public. 8% were fully open.
She said the library HVAC system is currently running in 24/7 mode in order to create more air exchange in the building. Architect Dan Whisler is also investigating other strategies that the library can use to help mitigate COVID, she said.
In other reports, Suchy said:
• Jason Price was rehired the second week of March and will work in several areas, including security and facilities services.
• Lindsay Lore also was welcomed back and she will fill in where needed. Lore used to be a shelving page in high school and assisted with summer reading for a few weeks while in college.
• Long Mechanical gave the library a contract for annual HVAC maintenance and while they were on the roof they commented on the cottonwood that needs to be cleaned out of the air conditioners. This was a chronic problem in the old library, which Suchy said she hoped the new two-story building would solve.
• The library is adding two products from BrainFuse to its digital services. JobNow offers job resources including resume templates and interview coaching. HelpNow provides learning assistance for students from elementary school age through adult, including homework assistance, math, science, reading/writing, and social studies tutoring.