Modifying services to meet the community's needs is just what libraries do, according to Blue Mountains Public Library (BMPL) CEO, Sabrina Saunders.
“Libraries have been around since the days of Alexandria and they have been modifying and changing and pivoting from tablets and papyrus, to paper, to computers to e-readers,” she says.
"The pandemic gave us an opportunity to pivot our services and to do something totally different that we never would have had time to do. I think we made the best of it and I hope our community had a similar experience without any loss."
The BMPL closed its doors to the public in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and since that time library staff have launched into the world of virtual programming.
“Every program that we typically offered during a normal, non-pandemic year, we moved to virtual programming,” Saunders explains.
“This was a good opportunity for us to get into delivering virtual programs because people were very understanding of us learning the process and were not as quick to judge the quality of what we were producing,” she says.
At the onset of the pandemic, library staff began learning the in’s and out’s of shooting and editing video and began hosting live events on their Facebook page and YouTube Channel.
“Our museum staff did the exact same thing. They went into the archives and started pulling materials that people might not normally see and started to make some short videos on the items,” Saunders says.
BMPL was able to move through the pandemic with its full staff complement and did not require any layoffs.
As COVID restrictions begin to ease, the BMPL will be reopening the doors to L.E. Shore on Aug. 18, with limited access.
Although the facility will be open for some light browsing, Saunders says BMPL will be keeping its programming in the virtual state for the foreseeable future.
“Legally, we can’t sing," said Saunders. "Singing is one of those dangerous activities. And, tell me, have you ever been to a children’s club that doesn’t sing or even a seniors exercise class where you aren’t huffing? Those types of things we can’t do. Based on that, we are still going to be running virtual programming.”
Saunders says the library will host in-library programming again eventually, once the COVID pandemic is well under control.
“I think that our usage is actually going to increase in the next few years over this. The people who were not using the traditional service, are now using more of a virtual brand. But at the same point, we have others that want to come back to the traditional service,” she says.
Once appropriate, BMPL will be looking to offer residents a hybrid of in-person and virtual programming.
“I can’t imagine that we would not have a permanent shift as a result of this. We will have to find a new hybrid system and that will become the new normal,” Saunders says. “Just like we have changed from the days of Alexandria, we just have to keep pivoting to make sure that the community gets what they need.”
