Week 26: Welcome Back!

We are so excited to be back open at the Vicksburg District Library! We have missed you since our closure in March. But that being said, we hope you have stayed safe and healthy during that time. Hopefully you got to spend time with family, had a bit of time for yourself, or got to work on a special project.

We reopened our doors at 10:00am this morning and we are working to slowly (and especially safely) to get everything as back to normal as we can for the moment. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at info@vicksburglibrary.org or at (269) 649-1648.

What You Need to Know About Reopening

RETURNING ITEMS, DONATIONS & TAX FORMS

All materials, including MeLCAT Interlibrary Loan items, are being accepted for returns at this time. Please return everything by Monday, July 6th at 10:00am or you may be subject to late fees for items you had checked out during the pandemic closure. All returned items will be placed in quarantine for 72 hours, so your books will not be checked in right away. Once items are taken out of quarantine and checked in, any fines/fees accumulated during the pandemic closure should be erased from your account. If you have any questions about the above, please feel free to contact us.

We are NOT accepting donated items at this time. Please do NOT leave donated items on our porch. We do not know when we will accept items at this time, but hope for the late summer/early fall. We will announce when we will accept donations again.

If you are in need of tax forms, any tax forms we have received from the government are currently available on the front porch of the library. If the ones you need are not listed, you are more than welcome to come in and print off a copy. Each copy will be $0.10 per page/per side in black and white. You are also able to download and print select forms at home from our Tax Forms webpage.

REOPENING DETAILS

We are now open for our regular Summer hours.

  • Monday through Thursday: 10:00am – 8:30pm
  • Friday and Saturday: 10:00am – 5:00pm
  • We are closed on Sundays until Labor Day.

Please note that when we reopen, some services may be limited or unavailable:

  • We ask that anyone who visits the library wears a mask or acrylic face shield. If you are unable to do this for medical reasons, please contact us so we can make arrangements to assist you. We highly suggest using our Curbside Pickup Service (details below).
  • If you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, please do NOT visit the library at this time. If you come to the library and visibly display symptoms, you may be asked to leave.
  • We have acrylic dividers up at the Circulation Desk and are making use of social distancing guides on our floors at this time. Please kindly use the arrows and signs as guides to navigate the building and keep a distance of six (6) feet apart at all times.
  • The Vicksburg District Library will only allow 25% of its normal maximum occupancy. Per the Vicksburg Fire Chief, this is 25 people, including staff on duty.
  • Children’s toys and computers are not available in the youth area at this time.
  • Magazines, newspapers, and periodicals are not available at this time.
  • Water fountains are disabled.
  • Tea and coffee sales are suspended at this time.
  • Reservations for use of the Quiet Room are for single person use only and an appointment must be made in advance. Appointments have a two (2) hour time limit.
  • Some computers may not be available in order to assist with social distancing guidelines. Computer use will be limited to one (1) hour per day. If you are in need to make special arrangements for computer use, please contact us so we can set you up with use of a laptop.
  • All programming will be held virtually for the foreseeable future. This includes events for the Summer Reading Program. Please check our Calendar of Events for all programming at this time.
  • Curbside pickup service will be available during certain hours. Curbside pickup is ideal for anyone who is unable to wear a mask at this time. See details below.

CURBSIDE PICKUP SERVICE

To assist patrons who are at-risk, medically do not have the ability to wear a mask, or who are anxious during this time of uncertainty, we are happy to offer curbside pickup service starting on Monday, June 22nd. CURBSIDE PICKUP SERVICE IS AVAILABLE BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Our staff will set an appointment for pickup when they call to let you know that your items are available or when you return our voicemail.

Curbside pickup service is available during the following hours:

  • Monday through Thursday: 11:00am -7:00pm
  • Saturday: 11:00am – 4:00pm
  • Please note this service is not available on Fridays.

In order to reserve your items, please do so online via the Vicksburg District Library catalog or by calling and asking to reserve items by phone. Once items have been gathered and are ready for pickup, we will call you to set your pick up appointment. Depending on item availability, this wait may be several days.

At your appointment time, please park in the designated parking spot and call us at (269) 649-1648. Have your Vicksburg District Library Card or state issued ID ready for us to verify, and we will have your items checked out and ready for you!

Please note that because of demand, when you reserve items there may be patrons ahead of your request. The Library will fulfill requests in the order they are received, factoring in a 72-hour quarantine period for returns. This may result in longer than ordinary wait times.

MELCAT INTERLIBRARY LOAN

You may return any MeLCAT Interlibrary Loan items. However, please be aware that the MeLCAT Interlibrary Loan system is currently still shut down and not available/taking requests at this time.

MeLCAT is currently returning all interlibrary loan items to their home libraries before checkouts resume. All items that were in our possession but hadn’t been picked up by patrons before our closure have been returned to their original libraries.

Any previously placed requests have been erased from patron accounts in order for the interlibrary loan system to begin at square one. When MeLCAT resumes service, all previous orders will have to be placed once again.

We apologize for any inconvenience in this matter as we have no control over the MeLCAT system.

Current Programming

We are currently holding a virtual Summer Reading Program. Be sure to register online for the Babies, Toddlers & Preschoolers program, Kids (BK/K-4th grade) program, or the Tweens & Tweens (5th-12th grade) program! Each level offers different virtual events and fun for the summer to save you from the “summer slump,” so be sure to check it out today! Have any questions? Be sure to contact Mrs. W.

So…whatcha reading? Join Librarian Adrianne via Zoom on select dates for So Whatcha Reading?, a laid back and easy-going conversation about what everyone has been reading as of late. There is no required reading for this program, just an enthusiasm for books you have read or are looking forward to reading. Be sure to check our Calendar of Events for dates and information to enter the meetings.

It’s Books & Brew Book Club on Facebook Live! Until the pandemic settles down and we are able to start holding our monthly book club at the Distant Whistle, Librarian Adrianne is holding her own version on Facebook. On select dates, be sure to view her presentation where she shares a special cocktail recipe and talks about different books and book topics. Check the Calendar of Events for available dates.

Dates to Remember