While I am profoundly sad that WCDPL (Bowling Green, Walbridge, and Bookmobile) is closed for an extended period of time due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, I am exceedingly proud of all the ways the library staff remains busy serving the members of our community during this unusual time.
In addition to increasing current virtual services (buying more e-books, expanding at-home access to databases, etc.), the staff is deploying new services in a virtual format: the Page to Table cookbook club, the Coffee Talk fiction book club, story-times and craft activities for children and families, book recommendations for adults, the Ukelele Club, and more. Soon, Trivia Night will be offered!
Local history librarians are collecting local information and building a Pandemic Archive so that, in the future, researchers can know how residents in Bowling Green, Walbridge, and the surrounding community weathered the current health crisis.
Secure wi-fi is available outside of both buildings. See the library’s Facebook page for a map showing the best place to park for strong signal.
Staff members have taken the 3D printers home and are busy printing plastic headpieces for medical face-shields. These headpieces will be delivered to Dana, manufacturer of the plastic face shield, for local distribution once assembled. Other library staff are busy making cloth face masks for coworkers to wear once we reopen.
Migrating services to an online format has meant that library staff have had to learn and adapt to new formats and some staff have been taking online courses in order to assist teammates in utilizing these new resources.
A normal “story time” may have taken 2-3 hours to plan, execute, and clean-up. However, there is a lot of time involved in both “pre-production” and “post-production” of an online event. For an online “story time”, staff need to know the best format to record the story on their phone so that it can be compressed and then emailed to another coworker for online posting. Considering possible editing of the files, the safe obtaining of props and materials, and the realities of working from home with space limitations and possible interruptions, creating the online product often entails far more actual time and planning than doing a similar “program” at the library itself.
Our staff have applied themselves to these tasks with a combination of zeal and good humor, and as Director, I am honored and humbled to work with such a dedicated, talented, and creative group in the service of our community. Please feel free to “Check Out” the library webpage at wcdpl.org or the library Facebook page for more information about all of our activities.
Thank you, and stay safe. Sincerely,
Michael Penrod
WCPDL Director
