Anonymous
Post 05/25/2020 22:06     Subject: Libraries
Does anyone know, under what phase libraries can open? Is it in any of the plans?
Anonymous
Post 05/24/2020 23:16     Subject: Libraries
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I have about 20 books I wish I could return...but that is not allowed either....


Why can’t you return them? We dropped off a bunch of books in the return bin just like we would any other day that the library is closed.


Tenley Library in NW DC instructed us not to. Have not checked if the return bin is locked or not.
Anonymous
Post 05/24/2020 07:37     Subject: Libraries
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Ours is open for drive by pickups that have been reserved. We can also drop off returned books.


Where are you located?

I wish our library would do this. We live in Fairfax County. We have like 20 holds that are supposedly ready for pick up.


Fairfax is starting curbside pickup June 1.


Really?! Can you link me to a source? Thank you!!


It’s on the Fairfax County Public Library Facebook page.


It is! Thanks PP!

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10157542747569007&id=9443044006
Anonymous
Post 05/24/2020 04:49     Subject: Libraries
Anonymous wrote:Public libraries are gross.


Only now they do.

Before no one blinked an eye at rummaging through books.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2020 22:46     Subject: Libraries
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Ours is open for drive by pickups that have been reserved. We can also drop off returned books.


Where are you located?

I wish our library would do this. We live in Fairfax County. We have like 20 holds that are supposedly ready for pick up.


Fairfax is starting curbside pickup June 1.


Really?! Can you link me to a source? Thank you!!


It’s on the Fairfax County Public Library Facebook page.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2020 22:41     Subject: Libraries
I am curious too. I got an email from Ffx Library saying we have a hold available and the date for pick up is extended. Makes me think books at some places are on the move. That would be great!!!!
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2020 22:36     Subject: Libraries
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Ours is open for drive by pickups that have been reserved. We can also drop off returned books.


Where are you located?

I wish our library would do this. We live in Fairfax County. We have like 20 holds that are supposedly ready for pick up.


Fairfax is starting curbside pickup June 1.


Really?! Can you link me to a source? Thank you!!
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2020 22:29     Subject: Libraries
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Ours is open for drive by pickups that have been reserved. We can also drop off returned books.


Where are you located?

I wish our library would do this. We live in Fairfax County. We have like 20 holds that are supposedly ready for pick up.


Fairfax is starting curbside pickup June 1.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2020 22:15     Subject: Libraries
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Ours is open for drive by pickups that have been reserved. We can also drop off returned books.


Where are you located?

I wish our library would do this. We live in Fairfax County. We have like 20 holds that are supposedly ready for pick up.


I heard that Anne Arundel County has started doing curbside pickups.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2020 21:31     Subject: Libraries
Anonymous wrote:Ours is open for drive by pickups that have been reserved. We can also drop off returned books.


Where are you located?

I wish our library would do this. We live in Fairfax County. We have like 20 holds that are supposedly ready for pick up.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2020 21:27     Subject: Libraries
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why can’t we at least pick up books on hold? This is so ridiculous. I don’t want to babe to buy new books all the time for my kids. Open up the libraries, please!


what is ridiculous is that you have not bought a kindle (or a nook, or the indie version) already and checked out books from the library that way. yes, high demand, but the waitlist / hold system works well in our experience. and you can get kindle unlimited which has lots of kids books.


We prefer paper books in our household. I don’t believe in reading on screens.


I do too but that's sort of irrelevant at the moment. I like many things I can't have right now. Grow up and get a basic kindle with no backlighting. (Also why are you on this screen at 11:12 at night rather than reading your paper books?)


Seriously? There’s no reason we can’t open up libraries so people can pick up books on hold. There’s a reason I prefer libraries and not buying a kindle. I don’t want to spend the money. Can you understand that?


Let me guess, you are white and privileged (or black and privileged). You want some poor soul to take mass trans so you can pick up books. You want to be SERVED.
Find a little library or trade with neighbors. Or check with your school.


What school library is open right now?
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2020 16:52     Subject: Libraries
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Why can’t we at least pick up books on hold? This is so ridiculous. I don’t want to babe to buy new books all the time for my kids. Open up the libraries, please!


what is ridiculous is that you have not bought a kindle (or a nook, or the indie version) already and checked out books from the library that way. yes, high demand, but the waitlist / hold system works well in our experience. and you can get kindle unlimited which has lots of kids books.


We prefer paper books in our household. I don’t believe in reading on screens.


I do too but that's sort of irrelevant at the moment. I like many things I can't have right now. Grow up and get a basic kindle with no backlighting. (Also why are you on this screen at 11:12 at night rather than reading your paper books?)


Seriously? There’s no reason we can’t open up libraries so people can pick up books on hold. There’s a reason I prefer libraries and not buying a kindle. I don’t want to spend the money. Can you understand that?


Let me guess, you are white and privileged (or black and privileged). You want some poor soul to take mass trans so you can pick up books. You want to be SERVED.
Find a little library or trade with neighbors. Or check with your school.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2020 16:32     Subject: Re:Libraries
Anonymous wrote:

I agree with a PP that librarians have no incentive to make something work since they’re being paid to not work. I don’t begrudge them that, but why would they try to be innovative and do extra work when they don’t have to?


You're just a troll, but sure, I'll bite.

Librarians have every incentive to make it work, because they care about serving the public. They're librarians.

But the staff at your local branch don't get to decide agency policy. Library leadership answers to a board and to city or county government. There are a lot of reasons circulation is suspended, and it isn't because librarians haven't figured out curbside pickup.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2020 15:32     Subject: Libraries
In Montgomery County, at least, county facilities are closed except for essential functions like maintenance or IT. Basically, bare-bones staff to keep everything from falling apart and allow remote work to continue.

I'm not sure librarians (or more properly, their supervisors) would even have the option to allow physical operations to start up again until county facilities in general begin their phased reopening.
Anonymous
Post 05/20/2020 14:49     Subject: Re:Libraries
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Ridiculous. No one is in the library so why can’t books be returned to sit there? Viruses don’t live on surfaces for more than a couple days.


Please go back and read earlier posts in this thread, which include posts from librarians about why there are not endless bins to receive books dropped through dropoff slots. You note that "no one is in the library" so you get that librarians are not there. What do you think will happen if books are pushed through return slots? Usually the books fall into a waiting bin on wheels. Those bins fill up; then what happens when there is no one there to wheel them away and replace with an empty bin? Overflow, and damage to books, DVDs etc. as more pile on top of them. And if you think someone ought to come in just to move a new bin in place--libraries don't have enough bins to leave things sitting in those bins to "quarantine;" they'd have to empty bins, which defeats the whole purpose of not having librarians handling recently delivered books.

Please keep your books until returns start again. Sorry you find that ridiculous but libraries don't have magical self-emptying bins yet.


There's no need to be so snarky. I would think librarians would be happy to know so many people would like to continue to use their services. It's disappointing to a lot of us that libraries in the DMV haven't yet figured out how to safely provide access to physical books.


I'm a librarian. And I assure you, I have been working during all of this. Maybe not checking out books, but there's quite a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that goes on at a library. And I've been doing that.

Exactly. They could keep half the branches closed and consolidate bins in the open branches.

I agree with a PP that librarians have no incentive to make something work since they’re being paid to not work. I don’t begrudge them that, but why would they try to be innovative and do extra work when they don’t have to?