Q and A with Anna Recap - April 30, 2020 session

Will volunteers be allowed in the building?

Not at this time. We are practicing social distancing, thus the number of people in the building will be limited. We will revisit this issues as the situation evolves.

Will future Board meetings be broadcast live, too?

This would be a Board decision. We will share the suggestion.

Do masks have the metal nose piece?

Yes, the masks have a metal nose piece. These are the ones we have. Because they are so difficult to procure, others on order are not the same exact brand but are the same type.

What about face shields?

We do have a limited number of face shields on order. Again, they are difficult to come by, but we wanted to provide an option for those who cannot wear masks.

May we wear our own fabric masks?

Yes you may, but they will need to cover the nose and mouth. Here is a link to some patterns for all you DIYers.

Let’s talk about gloves:

Staff are not required to wear gloves, but can if they choose to. Sarah shared that her sister’s lab uses the following protocol:

1. Wash hands
2. Put on gloves
3. Use hand sanitizer while wearing gloves
4. Safely remove gloves
5. Wash hands again

Will there be a staging area when we enter the building to mask/ glove up and have our temperature taken?

Yes, each branch will have their own staging are set up to best meet the needs, privacy and safety of their staff.

What about social distancing?

Social Distancing Ribbon

We have designed ribbons that will attach to your nametags. We hope to have them soon and all staff will wear them even before we allow patrons in the building. This will serve as a reminder to all of us to social distance even with our co-workers.

Are there recommendations for what staff should do if a patron does not follow social distancing protocols?

Staff should think of this like the Patron Behavior Policy, and state expectations clearly and politely.  If patrons refuse to cooperate, escalating actions may need to be taken. These could involve getting a supervisor involved, or if patrons refuse to comply with reasonable staff requests, calling law enforcement.

How will we establish social distancing in kids area (and with children)? Specifically wondering if we will have floor markings or special circles for kids to stand on when they need help.

This is a great suggestion. Once we get our feet under us with Phase 2 of the reopening plan, we will have more definitive answers to these types on questions as we prepare to move into other phases. We are researching vendors who have attractive, ready-made social distancing signage. We also welcome any suggestions! If you are out somewhere and see something you like, take a pic and send it to Sarah.

Any additional instructions on how we will be handling/moving the non-quarantined items? I understand we will be moving them to be quarantined.

Each branch will have slightly varying procedures based on their individual setup. Cumming and Hampton Park will quarantine items in the book drop bins for 72 hours prior to checking them in. Items returned at Post Road and Sharon Forks will be checked in by the AMH and routed to HQ, but actually held at the branch. This will put them in transit and not trigger hold notifications. Branch Managers and supervisors will go over specific instructions when you return to the branch. 

Will patrons be told that their items won't be checked in for 72 hours?

Yes. We included that information in the press release and will add it to signage at the branches.

How will fines be handled?

The quarantined items will be backdated when checked in. Items currently checked out are not accruing fines and are not due until 6/1/2020. When we check items out for curbside, it will be for the usual 2-week time period, even though that due date is before 6/1/2020. This should address most fine issues, but if it doesn’t, please handle on a case-by-case basis using your best judgment.

How will curbside be contactless?

Library cardholders may place holds on physical materials in the library’s online catalog just as they normally would, and then call the library at 770-781-9840 to make an appointment to pick up any available materials at their preferred branch.

Patrons who wish to check out print materials but aren’t sure what they want to read can ask for assistance from a librarian who will select materials based on the patron’s needs and preferences and prepare them for curbside pickup.

At their designated pickup time, patrons will park in the designated Contact-Free Curbside Pickup spaces, stay in their vehicle, and call the posted phone number to alert library staff to their arrival.

Patrons with limited mobility may request delivery to their vehicle. Otherwise, library staff will check the items out on the patron’s card and then place a bag containing the items on a table near the library entrance. Then the patron may exit their vehicle to pick up the bag.

For more complete information on the Contact-Free Curbside Pickup, please refer to Mendy’s blog post below.

Is there a plan for patrons who may not have access to a cell phone or are hard of hearing etc. and can’t call when they arrive to pick up holds?

Yes, when scheduling pickups we are asking if people have a cell phone to call us.  If they do not, we will take their car information and bring their package out to their trunk.  We will instruct patrons on the phone to the procedures ahead of arrival.

Will there be any curbside signage regarding where to wait, if necessary? Just

Parking lot signage,
customized for each location

thinking ahead if appointment 1 is running late and appointment 2 has arrived early.

Yes, we have parking lot signage on order that will provide clear directions for patrons.

Do we anticipate problems with getting patrons scheduled for their pickups before their holds expire? With so many people wanting appointments once we start curbside, will volume be an issue with patrons getting their holds before they pass the 7 day point.

Staff will be scheduling appointments and can manually adjust hold expiration dates as necessary to accommodate the patron’s availability.

Will there be signage curbside to let patrons know not to replace materials they are returning on the “clean” cart that they are picking up their bag of new books from?

Patrons will be notified when they schedule their pick-up that all returns must go to the book drops. We will also have signage.

What if someone returns items while we are trying to process curbside items? That could cause cross-contamination.

The AMH at PR will be closed down once a day and sanitized. Items coming out of quarantine will then run though the clean machine. Sharon Forks has 2 AMHs, and one will be designated as clean for all items coming out of quarantine.

If someone has checked out their limit, turns in 10 items and wants to take 10 more, can they even though the items they returned aren't technically checked in yet because of quarantine?

Yes. That feature is built into Polaris and will allow patrons to check out their items.

Have we gotten in the paper bags for curbside? I think that Anna mentioned at the Board meeting that they weren't in yet. 

They are here! Phillip is delivering them to the branches today.

Will we have a FAQ sheet to stick in the bags for patrons?

We do not have one, but this is a great idea. We will look into it.

How will we know when we're at "a different level of safety"? What benchmarks are we following?

This question referred to a previous statement that we would continue to use masks and gloves until we reached a different level of safety needs.  We meant that these PPE items would be used until local, state, or federal recommendations and other data demonstrate that they are no longer needed.  We are not using specific benchmarks, but will prioritize recommendations from Forsyth County Emergency Management.

Should we use anti-bacterial wipes or alcohol for cleaning staff keyboards and mice?

It is best to use alcohol for keyboard and mice. You can use disinfecting wipes in a pinch, but if the wipes have bleach, this will eat away at the letters printed on the keyboard.

Is chat going to be permanent or will we make that decision later based on usage?

We have not determined that yet. This service has been up for discussion several times as an alternative to Ask-A-Librarian and the current situation enabled us to try it out. We will make a decision as the situation evolves, taking into account patron usage.

Will we continue virtual programming for the foreseeable future?

Probably, but not necessarily at the current level. We did add virtual programming to the Program Policy we plan to bring to the Board at the May meeting.