The City of Coronado is preparing for the reopening of the Coronado Public Library on Thursday, Sept. 10, following new state criteria issued last week to help reduce COVID-19.
Initially, hours at the Library will be limited, from 10 am to 4 pm Monday through Saturday, except Wednesdays when closing time is set for 9 pm. Occupancy will be capped at no more than 100 people. The first hour in the morning will be allocated exclusively to at-risk residents including seniors 60-plus and those with underlying health conditions. The Library will open to all ages at 11 am. After a transition period of several weeks, the Library will return to its normal 7-day schedule.
“We are thrilled to reopen our doors to the Coronado community,” said Library Director Shaun Briley. “While closed, the Library made a number of improvements that will only enhance the Library experience. We can’t wait to welcome the public back.”
Visitors will notice new carpeting throughout including in the Teen Center, which also got a makeover with new furniture. The Library also used the closure to convert its entire 200,000-item collection from a barcode system to a Radio Frequency Identification system, to allow multiple books to be checked out and processed by staff in a stack. The old method required each item to be processed one by one. The Library also now offers contact-less checkout with new self-check machines.
The Library currently has an exhibition that features a sampling of folk arts and crafts from around the world. Working in collaboration with the Mingei International Museum at Balboa Park, the Library exhibition features items from the museum’s permanent collection. The exhibition was held over due to the pandemic.
To ensure the health and safety of patrons, staff will implement new health protocols. Customers will need to wear a mask and take their temperature at a touch-less kiosk before entry. Seating and wait lines are marked for social distancing. All transactions will be cashless with tap-to-pay and online payment options available. High touch areas will be sanitized three times a day and bathrooms will be cleaned every two hours.
Curbside pickup will still be offered daily from 10 to 11 am. Additionally, the Library has taken the additional in-house step of quarantining returned items before re-shelving them. Share items such as magazines and newspapers will only be available in online formats and for checkout on request. There will be no onsite programs or room bookings during this reopening phase.
The Library will continue to offer online programming in the form of storytimes, children’s crafts, book club and other Library events, as well as special videos that can be viewed on the Library’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
