What happens if a staff member gets COVID-19? How would that affect the rest of the building at which they work?
The exact details of what will happen depends largely on the instruction we receive from the Department of Public Health (DPH). The staff member will be sent home and advised to seek appropriate medical attention. As the employer, we would provide information to DPH regarding who the staff member came into contact with and to what extent. Some staff may be asked to quarantine, but we will rely on health professionals for guidance. Please note that we will not be able to disclose the employee’s name to other employees, but we will notify coworkers with significant exposure. We will close the building and have it deep cleaned. We will also contact Forsyth County Risk Management and Forsyth County Emergency Management.
For the next phase, will patrons be required to wear masks?
At this point we do not know. There are varying opinions about whether or not we can or should require patrons to wear masks. We are a public entity, so the rules governing us differ from private businesses. An attorney has advised Georgia Public Library Service that masks can be required, but the Library’s legal counsel has not provided an opinion yet. Anna is in contact with Forsyth County Government. While we don’t have a definitive answer now, rest assured we are researching our options and will keep staff informed when a decision is made.
What criteria will be used to determine when we have limited patron access (Phase 3)?
While we would love to give you all a concrete list of criteria, there is simply no direct answer at this time. Our main goal is to get materials in the hands of the patrons, while protecting our staff and patrons to the best of our ability. As we get experience with Contact-Free Curbside Pickup (CCP), we will gain a sense of what works, what doesn’t, and the comfort levels of staff and patrons. We will also keep an eye on what other libraries are doing as well as follow recommendations from the County.
Has the pandemic affected the timeline for getting the Bookmobile and putting it to use?
The timeline for the build has not been affected – we are still on track for August delivery. As far as putting it to use, we may have to use it differently at first than we had hoped. It is a relatively small space, so allowing for social distancing for staff and patrons will be a challenge. However, there may be options for a modified version of CCP or using it as a mobile hotspot for those without internet.
When will courier resume?
Courier service resumed Friday, May 1 and will run Monday – Friday at the normal time and use the same route.
Will the bins for other branches that go through the AMH before being quarantined sit at that branch for 72 hours as well?
Yes. Once they run through the AMH, they will be put into bins and quarantined for 72 hours in the meeting room. After that period, Phillip will deliver them to the appropriate branch.
How do we do timesheets?
Please continue to use the current spreadsheets to record and report your time until further notice.
Do we know if other branches are using the team model for staffing?
The team model is dividing branch staff between Team A and Team B (and, depending on the size of the staff, Team C). Team A will always work together on-site and Team B will always work together on-site. When Team A is in the building, Team B will be doing patron assistance from home. This minimizes the total number of staff to which staff are exposed. Each branch is scheduling a bit differently. Post Road and Cumming are using versions of work teams that fit their staffing.
Will staff have designated parking spaces? What about our patrons who are using the Wi-Fi?
Staff will continue to park where they did before closing in March. There will be signage designating parking for CCP, and the parking lot Wi-Fi usage has not been so huge as to cause concern for available spaces.
When doing curbside service, what do we do if patrons approach us in the parking lot? This is supposed to be contactless.
Staff should think of this in terms of 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.
Do we plan to let patrons know that we are quarantining books?
We do not have anything formally informing patrons that items are being quarantined, but we are notifying them at book drops that items may stay on their record for 3-4 days. When scheduling CCP, staff can certainly mention our current procedure, but we do not want to make any promises. Patrons can choose to handle the materials at their own discretion.
Do we need to make any requests to patrons about doing or not doing their own cleaning of materials at home?
Unfortunately, we really don’t have much control over that. However, if patrons ask, please advise them that time is the best disinfectant for books and we would prefer they NOT attempt to sanitize them before returning or after receiving materials.
Will there be a limit to checkouts once we start curbside?
Patrons can place up to 50 items on hold. However, we will only select 10 items using the Curbside Request Form.
Our credit terminals already allow for contactless payment - we should promote that. Could we change them to not require a signature?
The credit card industry is changing in the wake of COVID-19, so we will research to stay on top of the current requirements.
Who do we contact to request an order for an eBook?
Please contact Jeff at fisherj@forsythpl.org
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