At the Monroe Public Library, we have been serving the community both with open doors and with Curbside service at various points throughout the pandemic. We hear people wondering, “When will the library be open?” While there are so many ways we can assist people even with the building closed, we know people want to visit us. The Library Board of Trustees makes these decisions, and the Library Director and staff carry them out. We’d like to address these decisions with the community and let you know what will happen moving forward.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Library Board of Trustees has chosen health and safety as primary concerns, both for staff and for patrons. We are able to make decisions with public health at the forefront because we are visited by and supported by the entire community. As a major gathering point for the community, we know we could be a location where the community spreads disease, and we don’t want that to happen.
The Monroe Public Library Board of Trustees met on November 16 to finalize plans for what library services are available at which disease activity levels during the pandemic. The Board has used these levels throughout the pandemic to guide decision-making. The disease activity levels are provided weekly by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, an organization that has provided crucial data throughout the pandemic. We’ve used these levels consistently in order to provide clarity to the community.
These guidelines include plans for the CRITICALLY HIGH level, which Green County reached on Wednesday, November 24. Library staff will provide phone and Reference service, but Curbside services will be suspended.
At VERY HIGH, where Green County rested between September 1 and November 24, the library will provide Curbside pickup, phone and chat assistance, and events taking place both online and outdoors. At HIGH, the Board has chosen to open the library on an appointment basis, both for shelf browsing and for computer use. At MEDIUM, the building will open, with masks required for unvaccinated people. Finally, at LOW, the library will be fully open and resume normal operations.
We serve the entire community, and have many visitors in vulnerable categories, including older adults and young children. Although vaccines are now available for children as young as 5, the county vaccination percentage has plateaued at just under 60%. Additionally, the contagion continues to spread: the state metric of county disease level was at VERY HIGH since September 1, and raised to CRITICALLY HIGH on November 24. Green County Public Health recently reported that a 30-day period from the end of September through the end of October saw the most new cases this fall — and 8 deaths. As a place where information is so important, we must follow that information to be a leader in public health.
We welcome your thoughts. Please contact the Board at board@monroepubliclibrary.org, or Monroe Public Library Board of Trustees, 925 16th Ave, Monroe WI, 53566. Library staff can assist you by phone; call us at 608-328-7010 during open hours.
— Written by Dan Harrigan, Vice President, on behalf of the Board of Trustees, and Laura Schmiedicke, Adult Services Coordinator
