Flip and Reverse It
So, just another reminder, I write this a week before you read it, that makes today the day after the “Stop the Steal,” rally, event, fiasco, whatever you want to call it. You can only imagine how I feel about this event and most of you would expect me to jump up on my soap box and preach this week, nope. I just can’t and won’t.
On Monday I ran circulation numbers for the 2020 year. This report includes any physical or digital items that have been checked out and is used to compare previous years to recognize growth or loss. Well, guess what, there was a marked loss this year, yep, an approximately 20,000-unit loss. You cannot imagine the yuckiness this makes me feel, but wait, it gets worse. Follow that with 6 attendees for story time for the month of December, compare that to 63 attendees the year before. I am still not done. For the last month I have been looking at what it would take for us to accept credit cards. On Wednesday I talked to Intuit, read some articles and talked to fellow directors. I then ended up with my head bowed and my brain feeling messy. Keep in mind that I have had people want to use a credit card for a 10 cent copy. Then my family group text starts lighting up, as the events of the day are happening (January 6th).
This is why I refuse to talk about that day’s events. I was already feeling a little broken, but I had decided that I had to get out of that mode. After running my circulation reports I went back into my office and started working on my monthly and yearly goals for 2021. Something I should have had done by now, but just chose not to do until I could get my mind in the right place. I went home Tuesday night and decided I was ready to be done with quarantining items. Erik had shared an article from NPR that provided new information about contact transmission of the virus, and I felt that we know enough now to let it go. I also made the decision that, after I receive the vaccine, I will start bringing back onsite programming. I really feel like I was trying to bring us back, thus, I just will not bring us down with anything dark today.
Things you need to know about what we are currently doing. First off, we are open our regular hours. We still average around 3-5 “Are you open?” phone calls a week. Our conference and community rooms are available for use; we just ask that you follow the health center’s guidelines. By the time you read this we will no longer be quarantining items. We offer story time onsite at our regular time and have since mid-November, we only ask that participants practice social distancing and that the adults wear masks, children are not required to. On January 25th we will start our cancer support group back up, with zoom this first time. Book club has been onsite since August, mask and social distancing required. I am pretty sure I will be in the 1B group for the vaccine. Once I am vaccinated then I will conduct our adult crafting and genealogy club onsite, and yes, masks and social distancing will be required.
I want our patrons to remember that we never fully closed the library. We were one of the first libraries to open our doors back up to all with full access and curbside service. We maintained programming virtually until we were ready to try onsite events. We are currently offering onsite events, book club is attended, story time is not. One has been fine with masks and we can only assume the other is not. It also looks like we will be one of the first libraries that stops quarantining materials. We are trying hard to be positive, to look forward and to provide the best service we can, we only hope that you make this journey with us. If you are concerned for your health, by all means, be safe, take care of yourself and stay home. If you are mad that we quarantined items or require masks for programming, then shame on you. Sorry, that was a little dark, but seriously, work with us.
After a pretty yucky start to 2021 I decided to flip it and reserve it Missy Elliot style. Enihsnus ym laets gnihtyna tel ton lliw I dna snalp evah I, nepo era eW.
Upcoming Events: 1/13 Story Time in the Community room (masks required for adults) at 10am, 1/16 Saturday Story time in the Community Room (masks required for adults) at 10:30am 1/18 We will be closed.