By Amelia Tarallo
Hometown Weekly Staff
The Westwood Public Library is inching closer to reopening. In the meantime, staff members are excited to invite people back for scheduled visits, during which time they can safely find new reads and talk to staff members that they have missed during the pandemic.
As of now, patrons can visit the library after signing up on the library website. Along with making browsing appointments, patrons can also make appointments to use a study table. On weekdays, patrons can pick a three-hour timespan - either 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. timeslot or 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. - or reserve for four hours on Saturdays from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Each of these study spaces is cleaned between uses. The next stage of reopening would include having technology help sessions return, and have extended study table hours.
The return of regular patronage is an exciting prospect for library staff. “What I miss is seeing the families and seeing the kids and getting to really interact and choose books for them on the spot, in-person, and see their face light up when I hand them the new book,” says Assistant Library Director Liz McGovern.
Since shutting down regular operations last year, staff has tried to bring this aspect back to the library by creating book bundles. Adults, kids, and teenagers can all have a custom book bundle created with their interests in mind via ReadNEXT on the library website. After filling out the appropriate form, staff members will curate a book bundle based on the patron’s preferences. Patrons can also choose between physical books and a digital reading list of choices from Libby and Hoopla.
Summer is fast approaching and the Westwood Library is planning for another year of a virtual summer reading program. Like last year, patrons are encouraged to keep track of their summer reading on Beanstack, an app specifically designed for the purpose. “It’ll still be digital, but we will be open for kids and families to come in and get their books, look at the prize basket - all those things they missed out on last year,” said McGovern. When kids complete 50 hours of reading, they are welcomed to come back to the library to receive their prize in person, rather than through a contactless pickup like last year. “There’s that fanfare of someone recognizing your work that we missed out on,” admits McGovern.
While 2020 was filled to the brim with cancellations and alterations, 2021 is already shaping to be a year of relief as we make our return to a semi-normal life. Hopefully, in the next few months, the Westwood Public Library will return to its lively normalcy.
