COVID-19 Library Guidelines

SHELTON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Library

COVID-19 Procedures

Updated May 2020

Hours

Summer 2020

Main Library    Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. / Friday 8:00 – 12:00.

Fredd Campus Library    Closed

Entrance

There will be barriers at the front of the library to keep people from just walking into the library.  Those who need to enter the library will ring a bell and a library staff person will respond.  The “on-call” responsibility will be rotated among the library staff.

When patrons come in and ring the bell, a staff person will ask them what they need and let them know (a) they are not to sit in any chairs or at any computers that are blocked, (b) the stacks are closed, (c) they need to accomplish what they need to accomplish and exit the library.

There will be a protective Plexi-glass guard for the front desk.  Please make every effort to keep this between you and the patron.

A note on patrons in masks:  Patrons are expected to keep their masks on at all times.  If you see a patron without a mask, remind them that this is the policy.  If they continue to refuse to use a mask, ask them to leave.  If you have any issues, call security.

At the front desk, once a patron leaves, the bell and the surface that the person might have touched will be sanitized with wipes.  This should be done even if there are other patrons waiting.

Computers

Because of the way the computer tables are set up, we will only be allowing three people per table – one computer at the end of each “spoke” will be usable.  If students are not following these guidelines, they will be asked to move or leave.

All chairs that are in places we do not want students to sit will be removed and stored in the Periodicals Room (this room will be closed, off-limits).  Computer keyboards and mice will be stashed behind the monitors.  There will be signs.

Persons needing to use a computer will be shown to an available workstation by a library staff person.

The patron should let staff know when they leave so that staff can clean that workstation.

Printers

There will be tape on the floor at six foot intervals so that students can wait at the printers.  This will be a little sketchy because the ends of computer tables are very close, but we’ll do what we can.  It may be that only two people are allowed to wait at the printer at a time, and that those ends of computer tables will have to remain unused.

Books

Much like the Royal Museum, our stacks are now all closed stacks.  We will look up books for patrons at the front desk and go pull them.  If you are more comfortable using the computer in your office, this is okay.  Library staff will be responsible for pulling the books and checking them out to the patron right at the front desk.  If staff can serve a patron without them actually coming into the library, that is what is needed.  Library staff will be working to avoid having anyone extra or any extra interactions or any fights or any meet cutes or any breathing.

Chairs at the front of the library will be six feet apart to reduce waiting patrons milling about and breathing on stuff.

Library staff are willing to be flexible on this with instructors.  Sometimes, instructors need to see what we have in order to decide what to put on reserve or include in an assignment.  Instructors are still required to wear masks and maintain a six foot distance.

Reserves

Book reserves.  Models?  Yes.  When the models are returned, a staff person will wipe them down with sanitizing wipes.  Every time.  If a model has several parts, the student will be told not reassemble it so that the entire model can be cleaned.

The library will no longer loan headphones.  Library staff will suggest that students purchase their own at the book store or bring them.  We not certain staff can effectively clean something people wear on their faces.

Public Spaces

As stated earlier, our stacks will be closed.  We will also be removing chairs from areas we don’t want individuals to congregate in and storing these items in the periodicals area.  Each computer pod will be left with three chairs.  Tables with four chairs?  Only one chair will be allowed.

Staff will also remove the puzzle and coloring sheets from the Stress Relief Table and probably the bulletin board – those places are where people congregate and we want to avoid that.

Extra Cleaning

At noon and at 5 pm, library staff will wipe down everything.  The front desk, all the public computers that have been used, all desktops/table tops, the printers.  At the front of the library, staff need to wipe down the door handles and the glass that people always push to open the doors, too.  If there haven’t been any patrons, staff can clean less.   But always the front desk.  Each staff person is to clean his or her individual areas around noon and before we leave so that they are clean overnight and ready for use in the morning.  This should consist of wiping down hard surfaces and doorknobs. 

Staff Specific

Please don’t meet with people in your offices.  Please don’t meet with them in closed areas at all.  Our offices don’t have great circulation, and keeping the virus in a concentrated space is problematic.  Please don’t eat together at the table.  Please keep your masks on if you are talking to each other and any time you leave your offices.  Any time you talk.  Please stay six feet away from each other.  The idea isn’t to keep you safe, it’s to keep as much of the humidity from your body – which could be infected – out of the common air in order to keep everyone else safe.