XENIA — The Greene County Public Library has been given the green light to begin in-person activities.
The Ohio Department of Health authorized the library system to drop most of its coronavirus-related protocols.
“After more than a year of experience, research, science in the making, and the roll-out of effective vaccines in our community, we are at a point where we can return to a sense of normal,” said Greene County Public Library Deputy Director Elizabeth Cusack. “This has been the moment we’ve been working towards, and we couldn’t be more excited to get back to face-to-face engagement with our community.”
With the new authorization, the library is able to restore in-person programming, open study and meeting rooms, bring back armchairs and furniture, toys and games, and return to normal services from Spark Place makerspace, Bookmobile, outreach services (complying with rules of other facilities), resource sharing, and Greene County Room archives.
“It’s been inspiring to see all of the ways our staff have not just responded, but innovated from, the necessary restrictions of the past year,” said Xenia Community Head Librarian Melissa Fasanella. “We’re excited to get back to normal, but there are also a lot of new ways we’ve learned to do things that will help us better serve Greene County in the future.”
Continuing popular services implemented over the last year, the library will still offer curbside service, patron home collections requests, virtual programming as applicable, and take-and-make craft kits for all ages. Also, in the ongoing interest of best health practices, libraries will offer complimentary masks and COVID-19 rapid tests, along with improving air quality through a needlepoint bipolar ionization system, air purifiers, improved filtration, and outdoor air when possible, according to a release.
“I’m extremely proud of both our staff and our community,” said Greene County Public Library Executive Director, Karl Colón. “Together, the library and community worked together throughout this crisis to make sure that everyone had access to critical library services. That cooperation is one of the hallmarks of Greene County, and one of the reasons the GCPL team is so grateful to serve this community.”
Updated information on Greene County Public Library’s services and procedures can be found at https://greenelibrary.info/news/restoration-of-services-lifting-of-protocols/ or by contacting your local library.
A full listing of upcoming online and in-person events can be found at https://greenelibrary.bibliocommons.com/events/.
