By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
Carol Beckley sat outside the Wood County District Public Library Tuesday when it opened its doors to the public for the first time in almost four months.
“This is better than Christmas,” she said, “because the library’s not open on Christmas.”
Beckley has “desperately” missed the library. So much so, she switched her work schedule, so she could be there on Tuesday when it opened the doors.
Santa Claus may not been on hand to greet her, but Library Director Michael Penrod was.
For a good part of opening day, he was stationed in the hallway welcoming the patrons back in.
He’s been dreaming of this day, he said.
On March 14 as the pandemic took hold, the library closed its doors out of concern for the health and safety of the public and its staff. The library did later institute curbside pick-up, and more recently a limited delivery service.
For Beckley and other faithful customers that just doesn’t replace being in the library and browsing the shelves.
Beckley said when she heard the library was closing she went to both the library in Bowling Green and the Way Public Library in Perrysburg and borrowed 70 books. When she’d gone through those she began scouring Little Libraries scattered throughout the community for more reading material. “I can’t stand it without books,” she said.
In the Children’s Place, Brynn Lust from Deshler expressed similar feelings. She also found herself looking around for new reading material.
“I’m pretty bored so I’ve been reading a lot,” she said. She signed up for the summer reading programs at both her library in Deshler and the Wood County library. On Tuesday she was able to pick up the prize of books and toys that she won in a drawing in the Bowling Green library’s program.
Her favorite book of all those she’s read so far is “The Princess Diaries.” She’s also a fan of the Homeland series. “I like drama stuff,” Brynn said. “I don’t like school drama. I like the drama I’m not involved in.”
And she likes just going through all the books on the shelves and imagining the authors who have devoted themselves to creating these stories for readers like herself.
She was there with her grandmother Barb Hertz. Brynn has been visiting libraries with her grandmother, starting with those in Toledo, since she was a toddler. Libraries are their “happy spots,” she said.
“There was so much library love,” Penrod said of Tuesday’s opening.
That included seeing a preschooler excited as she put on her mask getting ready to head to the Children’s Place. Twenty minutes later, Penrod saw her, exiting with her arms full of books.
Another family arrived with three children. Penrod greeted them: “Welcome back.”
But they told him they’d moved to town during the pandemic and hadn’t visited the library yet. “So welcome home,” Penrod said.
He sent them over to the Children’s Place where Youth Service Librarian Maria Simon was waiting.
“It’s not in a large way we’ve usually done, but here we are connecting people,” Penrod said. “It just felt so good.”
Everyone, he said, was compliant with the modified Code of Conduct. People are required to wear masks, must limit themselves to a 30-minute stay once daily, wash their hands, and keep social distancing.
The library does have six computers available, but people must reserve them when they get to the library, and then staff will sanitize the machines between each use.
Staff is also limited with how much help they can provide to users since they cannot lean over their shoulders to guide them.
Computer use is the biggest challenge, the director said. “We may not be able to provide the level of technical support we used to, but we’ll do the best we can for everyone. But I still have to maintain staff safety.”
The library has continued to acquire books even while closed, so the shelves in the atrium were well stocked with new reading material.
For now, the library is open four days a week: Tuesday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday 3-7 p.m., Friday 1-5 p.m., and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
As to expanding those hours, Penrod said: “Right now, with the state of how the virus is spreading around Ohio, my approach is wait and see.”
He continued: “I’m not going to make plans beyond what we’re able to offer now. I need to know we can maintain what we’re offering. I would not want to take a step back.”
If a staff member were to contract COVID-19, and the Health Department told the other library workers they need to self-isolate, the library would be shuttered again.
“The more we can control the surge and spread of virus out in the community,” Penrod said, “the more I will be able to expand accessibility.”
