I like to go to Yats, the Cajun restaurant around Indy. They have a "half and half" where you can get half of one delicious thing and half of another delicious thing. But, since COVID-19, they stopped offering that. I'm bummed. I find myself desperately calling them every two weeks or so to ask when they are bringing it back, and the answer is always that they don't know. It's frustrating, but I can relate because we get calls every day from our dear patrons wanting to know when we are going to reopen. And, our answer is also that we don't know.
But, the time has come for me to take a stab at it! Granted a lot can happen between now and then. We are under construction, and then of course, there's the Coronavirus. So there are lots of factors that could put a wrench in our plans, moving forward. It's anybody's guess. But, I'm willing to make a guess because sometimes you've just gotta try.
If all goes as planned with construction, and Indiana's phasing plan continues as scheduled, we will open early to mid-August. There I said it! It's right here in print. But, it's still just my best guess.
If we do reopen in August, you might wonder what to expect. At that point, we may be operating a "Grab and Go" model of service. You can enter the library, and you can see all of the fantastic work we've done so far. You can browse books and DVDs to check out. You can interact with staff to ask questions. But, we won't encourage anybody to linger. We won't be hosting in-person programs right away. And the meeting rooms will have limited attendance, if any at all. We will all be socially distancing, wearing masks, utilizing acrylic shields, washing our hands, and taking all of the recommended precautions to keep you and our staff safe.
In the meantime, look for us around town as we try our hand at "PCL Pop-Ups," little surprise events where you'll see your friendly library staff leading different activities.
So, that's the plan. I love a good plan, especially when it goes off without a hitch. But, with the uncertain world swirling all around us, please don't hold me to it.
Lynn Hobbs, Library Director
