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North Lake County Public Library resumes curbside delivery, remains closed

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News from the North Lake County Public Library

POLSON — The North Lake County Public Library Board of Trustees unanimously agreed that the best way to keep our staff and community safe is to continue to keep the library building closed to the public. We have been closely following the Governor’s recommendations for reopening as well as that of the Lake County Public Health Department. We understand that our patrons would like to begin receiving library materials again, and recognize the importance of library materials for families without access to the internet at home. 

The trustees and staff feel that we can resume offering curbside pickup. However, we would like to note that Lake County is urging everyone to take personal responsibility to act appropriately. They are encouraging those of a vulnerable population to continue to stay at home and for all others to limit outings, reminding us all that just because we can, doesn’t mean we should. The library is offering contactless home delivery to vulnerable residents in the Polson city limits and mail delivery for vulnerable residents outside the city limits in the library district. 

In order for us to offer curbside pickup in a safe, orderly way, the following process is in place: 

You may place holds on items that are available in our library either online or by calling the library at 406-883-8225. We are happy to recommend books and movies that are on our shelves. Federal tax forms and booklets are also available. 

 Items will be available for pick up the following day. The library will call you to arrange a scheduled pick up time. 

—   You are only allowed one curbside pickup per week and there is a limit of five items per library card per pick up. 

 We are encouraging those in the same household to place holds together with one pick up. Holds may be placed on individual cards. 

—   When you arrive, you must remain in your vehicle. Unlock your trunk or a rear door if no one is in the back seat and be sure there is a space available for items to be placed easily by library staff. 

 Library staff will bring the materials to your vehicle in a bag and place them in the area agreed to during our phone call scheduling your pickup. 

  A checkout slip will be tucked into one item listing due dates. You may renew items online or by phone. 

  Do not attempt to hand the library staff any items. They have been instructed not to accept anything. 

Home or mail delivery process for vulnerable patrons: 

 Home delivery will be offered to those patrons residing in the Polson city limits who are considered to be vulnerable and encouraged to remain at home. Mail delivery will be offered to those patrons who do not have a Polson post office box and live outside the Polson city limits but in the library district. 

  You may place holds on items that are available in our library either online or by calling the library at 406-883-8225. We are happy to recommend books and movies that are on our shelves. 

  Items will be available for delivery on a selected day of the week. The library will call you to arrange a delivery date and time. 

  You are only allowed one delivery or shipment every two weeks and there is a limit of five items per library card per delivery and three items per shipment per household. 

  We are encouraging those in the same household to place holds together with one delivery or shipment so as to be more economical for the library. Holds may be placed on individual cards. 

  When the library staff member arrives for delivery, please remain in your home. 

  Library staff will bring the materials in a bag to your doorstep and knock. 

  A checkout slip will be tucked into one item listing due dates. You may renew items online or by phone. 

 Do not attempt to hand the library staff any items. They have been instructed not to accept anything. 

We encourage you to wash your hands before and after handling library materials. Please do not use harsh cleaners on books or allow pages to get wet. Damage to items will be charged. A lightly damp disinfecting wipe applied to the plastic case or jacket is fine, but please take care when doing so. Book jackets and cases will be cleaned before items are placed in the bag. 

Returning materials to the library: 

You may place returned items into the library book drop even if they have a sticker saying not to. We highly encourage you to sanitize your hands after opening the book drop and before reentering your vehicle. If you use gloves or another disposable hand covering, please dispose of them in the garbage can by the building entrance. Do not leave them on the book drop or drop them on the sidewalk or in the road. The book drop handle will be disinfected periodically throughout each weekday. Only one person is allowed at the book drop at one time. Please remain in your vehicle or at least 6 feet away from any other people if you are waiting for the book drop. 

If you are unable to return materials to the library by the due date for any reason, please call the library or email us at: polsoncl@polson.lib.mt.us and we will renew your items for you. Please do not return any items if you or anyone in your household is or has recently been sick. While we do want you to return materials eventually, we are not in a hurry for materials to be returned right away and are more than happy to extend due dates beyond our normal practices. 

We still are not able to accept any donations of books, movies, magazines or puzzles right now. Please do not put these items in the book drop or leave them in front of the library building. 

As long as everyone follows these procedures and continues following precautionary measures we should be able to continue to offer these services. If issues arise or circumstances change, the library will revisit our options. Strict adherence to these procedures is required for us to be able to continue curbside pickup and book drop returns. 

Other services available: 

We also want to remind you that we have added many digital resources to our website including CreativeBug and trials of Kanopy, Rosetta Stone and TumbleBooks. Ancestry.com is also available from home for a limited time. Of course, Montana Library2Go, Flipster, Freegal, and Niche Academy are still available. You can access these at: www.northlakecountylibrary.org/digital-resources. If you do not have a library card, please call or email us and we will get you a number and PIN. 

Heather is still available for tech help over the phone or through email. You can get in touch with her by calling the library or send her an email at nlcplibrarytechhelp@gmail.com. 

We have started a YouTube channel where you will find various online programs like gardening and tech help. Our children’s programming has also moved online with Mother Goose, Makerspace, and Wiggle Worms videos posted weekly. 

If you are in need of internet, the library’s Wi-Fi is working and can be accessed from outside the building around the perimeter – including in your vehicle. 

We will continue to post updates as they become available on our website and Facebook page. Lake County has done an outstanding job so far in keeping the virus at bay. As we move into this next phase, we need to continue to follow guidance and do everything we can to protect and support one another. We hope all of you are staying safe and healthy, and we look forward to talking to you soon. 

Most of our librarians will continue to work from home. We will have staff in the building Monday through Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. We are always checking our voicemail, our email, and Facebook messages throughout each weekday. If you can’t reach us, please leave us a message, we would love to talk to you. 

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