2020 Message from Chief Librarian and Library Board President
Welcome to the Library’s story of 2020. In this virtual Impact Report, you’ll find a month-by-month timeline of our response to the COVID-19 crisis, as well as highlights of our impact in areas such as expanding access to Library services, student success, adult learning, small business support, and civic and cultural engagement.
2020 Accomplishments
Dear Library Friends and Supporters,
Welcome to the Library’s story of 2020. In this virtual Impact Report, you’ll find a month-by-month timeline of our response to the COVID-19 crisis, as well as highlights of our impact in areas such as expanding access to Library services, student success, adult learning, small business support, and civic and cultural engagement.
In March of 2020, we found ourselves facing an unprecedented challenge: With all 27 Library locations closed and their programs canceled, an existential question arose: How does a large urban library system continue to serve its communities during a pandemic, when patrons and staff alike are facing challenges ranging from economic disruptions to child care, social isolation, and even COVID itself?
We set about answering that question. Within weeks of our closure, our workforce pivoted to telework. We expanded our 24/7 services through our website, increasing access to e-books, databases and learning platforms. In under two weeks, we developed an online Library card. In late April, we opened and began staffing restrooms at five branches to support community hygiene needs. We also launched online story time in April, eventually creating virtual programs for everyone from preschoolers to elders. By August, when allowed by the state, we began offering Curbside Pickup Service and our Mobile Services vans were back on the road, delivering books and materials to children in underserved communities and senior facilities. In October, we added virtual one-on-one tutoring to help students learning remotely.
As we reshaped our services, we moved cautiously and tested new service models before expanding them. Our goals were always the same: protecting the health and safety of patrons and staff, and delivering equitable, accessible services.
We were able to bring Library services to almost half of Library locations by the end of 2020. With the guidance and support of our community partners, we distributed 26,000 physical books to children, loaned hot spots to communities that lacked internet access and developed the Your Next Job service to help people recover from the pandemic’s economic impact.
But while delivering equitable service was a goal, the disruptive and isolating nature of COVID-19 meant we weren’t able to reach and support everyone who needed us. Some of our libraries were not able to provide services for most of the year due to safety, building size and staffing reasons, and our in-person outreach efforts within the community had to pause.
We have learned a lot about what it takes to safely operate a Library during a global health crisis, and what it takes to keep materials and information flowing through the community. In 2021, as we continue the work of reopening buildings and normalizing operations, we will explore lessons learned from 2020 and how we might respond the next time our community experiences a state of emergency. With the creativity of our compassionate and hard-working staff, we will continue to adapt how we serve and support your needs, in good times and bad.
We look forward to hearing from you, talking with you, and – especially – seeing you back in libraries in 2021.
Thank you for your continued support.
Tom Fay, Interim Chief Librarian
Jay Reich, Library Board President