Virtual programs, furloughs and book drop overloads
County’s libraries adjust during pandemic
Tonya Aikens was walking inside the Miller Branch of the Howard County Library System a few weeks ago.
As the library system’s president and CEO, she was mapping out how the county’s libraries could return in the future with possible social distancing guidelines and increased safety measures amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Then she saw the room for the book drop, where hundreds of books were stuffed through the small door and piled onto the floor. Something as simple as community members returning books to the library had suddenly become difficult.
“It totally is not something you think you’d ever see,” Aikens said. “That picture is what it looks like at all of our locations right now.”
A photo was shared on the library system’s Facebook page earlier this month, showing the overflowing pile of books and urging community members to not return books and that fines are being waived during the pandemic.
“We’re not looking to reinstate fines even when we open our facilities because we’ll still be in this economic recession caused by the pandemic,” Aikens said. “We don’t want to place any barriers on our customers that would limit their ability to access our resources and recover themselves.”
As the library system’s president and CEO, she was mapping out how the county’s libraries could return in the future with possible social distancing guidelines and increased safety measures amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Then she saw the room for the book drop, where hundreds of books were stuffed through the small door and piled onto the floor. Something as simple as community members returning books to the library had suddenly become difficult.
“It totally is not something you think you’d ever see,” Aikens said. “That picture is what it looks like at all of our locations right now.”
A photo was shared on the library system’s Facebook page earlier this month, showing the overflowing pile of books and urging community members to not return books and that fines are being waived during the pandemic.
“We’re not looking to reinstate fines even when we open our facilities because we’ll still be in this economic recession caused by the pandemic,” Aikens said. “We don’t want to place any barriers on our customers that would limit their ability to access our resources and recover themselves.”
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