Thomaston Public Library has submitted the following:

On Monday, June 29, Thomaston Public Library will be reopening to the public! We are excited to be serving patrons in the building again, but we respectfully request that all of our patrons abide by the new rules and restrictions to maximize the safety of both our staff and our patrons. Curbside pickup service will continue to be available.

Our open hours will be limited to 11 AM – 4 PM Monday – Thursday, Friday 11 AM – 6 PM, and Saturday 10 AM – 1 PM. This will allow our staff extra time to clean and process curbside pickup orders. Curbside pickup will be available until 4:30 PM Monday – Thursday as well as during our open hours.

Patron Limit

The library’s square footage means that we can only have 5 patrons in the library at one time. Every person counts toward this limit, regardless of age. If one family member can come into the library to pick items for everyone, we encourage you to do so. When entering the library, please check with the librarian at the circulation desk to be sure that we are not already at our occupancy limit.

Time Limit

Since we can have so few patrons in the library at one time, we have put a time limit on visits. We request that you keep your visit to the library to 30 minutes or less.

Public Computers

While the pandemic is ongoing, we will only be offering two public computing stations, and a 30-minute time limit is in effect. Our staff will clean the computers between each use.

Masks

For the safety of the staff and other patrons, we require that anyone who comes into the library wear a mask that covers their nose and mouth. We know this isn’t fun, especially in hot and humid weather. However, many of our staff and patrons are in high risk categories and we all must work together to keep the library safe for everyone. Staff will be masked as well.

Browsing and Material Quarantines

We encourage everyone to browse and read book descriptions, but please don’t put a book back on the shelf after you have touched it. If you touch a book and don’t intend to check it out, please place it on one of the quarantine carts or tables located throughout the library. Any item that has been touched will be quarantined for 72 hours.

Social Distancing

Please follow social distancing guidelines in the library and maintain a 6-foot distance from other people.

Donations

The library is not currently taking any book or magazine donations, and we will let everyone know when we are able to resume accepting donations.

Magazines and Newspapers

Due to the difficulty in quarantining or sanitizing these materials, our magazine and newspaper collections have temporarily been removed.

Cleaning

We will be cleaning and disinfecting high touch surfaces in the library multiple times a day. We encourage you to wash your hands or use the available hand sanitizer as well. 

Children’s Area

Due to the difficulty in quarantining and sanitizing the toys in our children’s area between patron visits, the toys, bean bags, and stuffed animals have been moved to storage for the time being.

While we will do everything in our power to make the library a clean and safe place for everyone, we cannot guarantee a germ-free environment. We hope you will take all recommended precautions as you make your selections both in the library and at home.

We are looking forward to the day we can return to full services, in-person programming, and the community living room we all love! Until then, help us help you by following these new, temporary rules that allow us to reopen the library while keeping patrons and staff safe.