LIBRARY POLICIES RELATED TO COVID-19
Library Reopening Policy(approved by the Library Board of Trustees on May 18, 2020)
Library COVID-19 Response & Preparedness Plan (approved by the Library Board of Trustees on June 8, 2020)
UPDATE Grab & Go Phase Hours Update – Starting Monday, August 10
Beginning Monday, August 10, the Wixom Public Library will be updating our hours for the Grab & Go phase of our reopening plan.
The new hours will be the following:
Monday – Thursday: 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Friday – Saturday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
The updated hours will allow the Library to ensure consistent services while also better protecting staff safety, and thus patron safety, during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The new hours were determined by current in-person traffic and demand. Curbside service will be available during open hours. Regular hours will return later in our phased reopening.
UPDATE Grab & Go Services Begin on Monday, July 13
We are excited to announce that the Wixom Public Library will be moving into the next phase of our reopening plan on Monday, July 13 with Grab & Go limited library services.
Grab & Go Details and Guidelines
We ask all people entering the building to wear a mask, maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance between other patrons and library staff, practice good hand hygiene, and adhere to all posted guidance in order to keep the library safe for all. Face masks will be provided to anyone in need of a mask. The Library has also increased cleaning protocols. We ask that patrons who are sick do not enter the facility.
Patrons are asked to visit the Library quickly and efficiently by limiting visits to 30 minutes or less to find and check out materials and get patron assistance. There will be no public access to certain areas of our building, including study rooms and the Children’s play area. The majority of lounge furniture and seating has also been removed.
We will be operating under capacity limits of 25% of the total occupancy established by the local Fire Marshall and all others must wait outside the Library. We ask that patrons come to the Library with the least number of people possible.
There will be limited access to computers by appointment only, with a 30 minute time limit on computer sessions. Only 1 computer session per day will be permitted. Please call the Library to make an appointment. The copy machine and scanner will be available for self-service only.
Returns will only be accepted in the outdoor book returns and all items continue to be quarantined for 96 hours upon return based on CDC guidelines. Please allow 4 days for items to be removed from your account. We are NOT accepting donations at this time.
Contactless Service Continues
We will continue to offer a variety of contactless library services throughout the coming months, including curbside pickup of library materials, increased access to digital services, expanded mobile hotspot program and virtual programming. We encourage patrons to continue to use these services.
New policies and procedures have been approved by the Library Board to ensure safe usage of our building and are available on our website. Details related to reopening phases are subject to change. We continue to follow guidance from the CDC, State of Michigan and Oakland County Health Division to ensure the safety of patrons and staff.
Please be patient and flexible with us as we navigate this challenging time. Thank you for your continued support!
– Andrea Dickson, Library Director
UPDATE June 3, 2020
We are happy to announce how the Library will begin to reopen. Staff and public safety remain our top priorities. To ensure that we have the appropriate safeguards in place we will be reopening in phases, including time to train staff on new safety protocols and service procedures. The Library Reopening Policy is available here.
Monday June 8 – Returns and Online Holds Resume
Beginning Monday, June 8 our parking lot drop boxes will be unlocked to accept returned materials. Returned materials will be quarantined for a period of 72 hours based on CDC guidelines. Online holds will also begin the week of June 8 as we work to resume our normal online catalog settings. Staff will also be available from 10am – 5pm to answer phone calls and questions.
Monday, June 15: Curbside Service Begins | Instructions for Curbside Holds
We will begin curbside hold pickup on Monday, June 15. Curbside service will be contactless and allow you to pickup holds by appointment from a table by our entry doors. We anticipate offering curbside services for a couple of weeks prior to opening the Library for Grab and Go services. Beginning June 15, curbside hours will be as follows:
Monday – Thursday: 10am -7:30pm
Friday: 12pm – 5pm
Saturday: 10am-2pm
As with everything related to the pandemic, dates may be subject to change. We continue to monitor and follow public health guidelines for increased cleaning, social distancing and materials handling. We will continue to keep you up to date on changes in services as the reopening process progresses.
We have missed all our patrons and we look forward to seeing you soon!
– Andrea Dickson, Library Director
UPDATE March 14, 2020
With the City of Wixom closure, we have stopped accepting returns of materials in book drops until we reopen. We are fine free so please disregard any due dates. For the few items that still incur fines, we will be waiving those fines.
UPDATE March 13, 2020
Dear Community Members,
With the Governor’s State of Emergency and closure of all schools in the state, the Wixom Public Library will be closing to support the greater community during this public health crisis. We recognize this will be an inconvenience and apologize for the disruption in standard service. Our goal is to protect the health of staff and patrons during this highly communicable outbreak.
The Library will be closed to the public starting Saturday, March 14 until further notice. We will provide additional details about any limited library services we may be able to offer during this closure.
We are also investing additional funds into electronic resources you can use at home and have increased caps on Hoopla. See all offerings at wixomlibrary.org/digital.
We continue to work closely with the City of Wixom as well as monitoring guidance from the Oakland County Health Department, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Message from the Library Director
March 12, 2020
As you are likely aware, Michigan and Oakland County have confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, which is a respiratory illness currently being spread from person to person in many countries, including the United States.
The Wixom Public Library is committed to the health and well-being of both the public and the Library’s staff. We are working closely with the City of Wixom as well as monitoring guidance from the Oakland County Health Department, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In order to protect the health of staff and patrons, the Library has cancelled all Library programs until the end of March at which point we will reassess the situation. This decision was made in part due to the Governor’s State of Emergency and information provided by the State Librarian. The decision was also made after consulting with City of Wixom officials. It is our hope that by limiting activities in the Library over the coming weeks, we can continue to keep our doors open for basic library services.
The Library is also taking the following precautionary steps:
- Throughout the Library, you will find hand sanitizers. There are wall-mounted sanitizers in adult and children’s area. The Check-Out Desk also has hand sanitizer available. And best of all, we have plenty of water and soap in the bathrooms.
- When checking out materials, you will be asked to scan your own library cards. Please use the self-checkout to help us protect Library staff.
- Please return all materials in one of the book drops. Two drive-up returns are located outside and one book drop is located inside at the Check-Out Desk.
- We are doubling down in our cleaning of high-touch areas, such as door handles and other surfaces.
- Toys, puppets, and puzzles are off-limits for now.
- We are not accepting Meeting Room reservations at this time.
- We are investing even more in eBooks and digital audiobooks. This is a great time to explore our entire digital collection, including streaming movies, TV, and music. Visit wixomlibrary.org/digital to view all of our digital offerings.
- Have materials due but can’t make it to the Library? Just call us and we’ll work to renew materials. Best of all, we are fine-free on the majority of our materials.
Our interest is to continue serving your library needs while maintaining the safety and health of our staff and public. We are developing staffing and service models should we need to reduce other services or hours. We also continue to follow best hygiene practices for workplaces.
Please remember that libraries are shared public spaces – if you are feeling ill or concerned about potential exposure, we encourage you to stay home for the protection of Library staff and visitors.
We will continue to communicate any further impacts to the Library as a result of coronavirus. Thank you for your patience as we work through this developing situation.
–Andrea Dickson, Library Director