Library seeks to continue to serve

To the editor:

As you may be aware, Jay County Public Library made the decision to close to the public from March 17 through March 31. Although we really wanted to stay open, we felt that an abundance of caution was due given the situation our world is facing.

So what are we going to do? Even though we are closed, the reading and viewing needs of our community will remain the same, and will probably be even greater. In response, we have decided to take our cue from restaurants and other businesses and introduce curbside delivery.

So, how will this work?

The process is pretty easy (although will be a work in progress): First, call the library at (260) 726-7890 between our normal hours — 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday. Have your library card number ready for us and a list of titles you are interested in. Our staff will pull the materials from our shelves and give you a call back when they are ready to be picked up. When you pull up in front of the library, give us another call and we will be out with your books or movies.

There are some things to keep in mind, though. There may be materials that are not available and depending on how heavily this service is used, requests later in the day may not be filled until the next day. The majority of our collection is eligible for pick-up, including not just books and movies, but video games, puzzles, magazines and more.

For those of you familiar with setting holds in your Evergreen account, that option will still be available. You will simply need to call the library to arrange a pick-up time.

For those of you with e-readers, tablets and other mobile devices, go to our website at jaycpl.lib.in.us and click on the Overdrive and Hoopla icons to explore our digital offerings. We have access to an extensive amount of digital books, audio books, movies, tv shows, music, magazines and more.

Our public Wi-Fi will be on 24 hours a day and people can connect to it from the closest spots in our parking lots.

Please call us with any questions you may have during this time. We will be staffing our building for our normal weekday hours but will not staff on Saturdays.

From our JCPL staff to you, we wish you all good health during this time, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Eric Hinderliter

Director

Jay County Public Library