Plans are in place to start checking out materials from the Washington Public Library starting May 15th. The library has been closed to the public since mid-March due to COVID-19 and has been operating as a virtual library since then. Library Director Bryna Walker shares how things will work, “We’ve opened up our dropbox so people can return items if they’d like to the front of the library. Our book drop in the back is still closed. But for now if you’d like to return your books that you had out before, what we’re doing is just taking those books and by recommendations of the CDC and the state library, we’re just quarantining books for awhile. So, we’ll quarantine those for about seven days. And then the books that we’ll be circulating on the 15th, if we can open at that time, we’ll be doing what they call curbside pickup.”

So, people will be able to call the library and request a certain book or a genre, they’ll then be placed on holds, and when you’re ready a librarian with a mask and gloves on will bring them out to your vehicle. Books that are returned will undergo a quarantine before being sent out to the next patron.

Also, registration for the annual summer reading program for pre-school through fifth grade students is now open. The program will be done virtually this year on the library’s Facebook page and Zoom Room. And then in June some materials to be picked up curbside with a focus on STEAM activities, science, technology, engineering, art, and math. To reserve a book or register for summer reading call the library at 653-2726. Staff is at the library from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.