Elektra Greer, Nederland Community Library Director. I recently overheard a patron describing these times as “the entire world having a nervous breakdown.” I had to laugh.  It felt quite accurate. Not being one to let a good nervous breakdown go to waste, I realized a newsletter with library happenings was long overdue. Perhaps you’ll find a few things to make you laugh and to look forward to!

Hopefully you’ve been following us through one of our many channels of communication, but nothing is quite like an old-school newsletter. So, let me try to organize my thoughts (no easy feat these days), and share with you what we’ve been up to.  

First and foremost, our priority continues to be serving you in ways that keep the entire community safe. As a community library, it almost feels redundant to say, “we’re here for you,” since we are you, but it’s worth saying again.  We are all facing the same uncertainties, the same shifting sands, the same hopes and fears and our NCL responsibility is to best marshal library resources to provide what’s needed most, now.  

With that in mind, please reach out to us with any ideas of ways we can be of help. Currently, we are continuing our Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. appointment-only and curbside pick-up hours. During this time, you can either make an appointment for up to an hour to use library resources (which can mean simply enjoying the pleasure of browsing our collections), or you can have us bring materials out to you in the parking lot. Our appointment-only hours allow us to follow public health guidelines in keeping our indoor space safe. 

Did you know we are also rolling out home delivery service of materials? We are currently partnering with Mountain Peak Life to deliver physical materials to those receiving homebound meal deliveries, and beginning in August, we will be expanding that to the rest of our mountain community. Please contact us at egreer.ncl@gmail.com for more information. The service will be a once-a-week drop off and pick-up of materials, which will include librarian favorites (you pick your genre preferences) along with items you’ve requested. This may be great for homeschoolers!

After-hours usage of the building is occurring on a first-requested, first-served basis, if we have staff availability. If you have a small group that needs a place to meet, let us know and we can see how we can accommodate you.  

Our courier is up and running so you can now place holds on items within our consortium!  

Our summer journaling program is not at capacity yet, so please be part of it and help us document our mountain history as it is unfolding. Remember, these journals will be added to our permanent local history collection and searchable through our catalog. Now’s the time to become a published author!

Virtual services are continuing to expand and just like the community you love so much, they are quirky, unique and like nothing you can find anywhere else! Don’t believe me? When’s the last time you heard this? Songs from the Stacks.

Any high school students at home that need something productive to do?  We are launching a youth broadcast journalism program to help us dive deep into current events through the lens of our mountain youth.  For more information and an application, contact us at egreer.ncl@gmail.com.  

In partnership with the Carousel of Happiness, Mountain Forum for Peace, and the Library Foundation, beginning August 1,2020, the Library will be giving out free copies of the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, inspired by the story of Sadako Sasaki. This family read is a great reminder of courage, resilience and the ongoing need for peace, all in commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. For more information, please email us at jessicaroseprince@gmail.com. 

Wondering how you can continue to support the Library and Library Foundation while the annual, in-person book sale is on hold?  Check out the Foundation’s new online bookshop. Books, gifts and pavers are a perfect pick-me-up for you and the bibliophiles in your life!  New inventory every week.   

Finally, who doesn’t need a great bedtime story to help unwind? Our Nederland storytime talent knows no limits, and whether you choose to enjoy storytime first thing in the morning or last thing at night, don’t let the bears get you.

(Originally published in the July 16, 2020, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)