Senior library assistant Armando Trujillo wheels the Salem Public Library’s curbside pickup cart outside for patrons on Aug. 26 (Courtesy/Salem Public Library)
A wire shelf loaded with plastic bags in a parking lot lacks some of the charm of the Salem Public Library’s usual shelves of books.
But for months, the utilitarian setup has been a lifeline for library patrons, who have checked out thousands of books, DVDs, home crafting kits and more without ever setting foot in the building.
As it’s become clear there will be no “return to normal” anytime soon, local librarians have adapted, crafting zombie-themed virtual escape rooms using Google Forms, fielding telephone inquiries for coronavirus-related information and checking out hundreds of items a day for patrons to pick up outside.
“It’s always so fun to see how many books will go out,” said Armando Trujillo, senior library assistant.
The library’s two buildings have been locked to the public since March 16, and for months, patrons were advised to simply keep items they had already checked out at home.
Trujillo and other employees worked remotely, talking with patrons online and over the phone, and helping people check out ebooks and audiobooks online.
His first shift back in the Broadway Street building was May 26, when the library launched a curbside program. Trujillo said the feeling was strange, especially because the location is temporary while the main downtown library is under construction.
“It was a different feeling to not see it moving, not to be lively,” he said.
Patrons who want to check out items now have a two-step process. They must first put a book on hold, using the library’s online catalog or calling a librarian for help. Then, once the item is available, then can schedule a time to pick it up via email, phone or a web form. Directions are on the library’s website.
A typical curbside day sees about 120 patrons grabbing items. Many check out things for family members or neighbors, so the total number of patrons receiving books is closer to about 200, Trujillo said. Library workers start the day by printing off a list of everything due to be picked up, then check the items out and bag them individually with a customer’s name on the front.
They put items on the shelf outside once per hour. Patrons are supposed to pick up their items within a 10-minute window, minimizing contact between people.
The curbside hold pickup service launched in late May, with more than 8,600 items checked out by the end of July. Trujillo said the items going out are similar to what they saw before the pandemic, including the mix of English and Spanish-language materials. But DIY, cooking and baking books have become more popular, he said.
Despite the leniency of due dates, items are coming back too, placed in a bin left outside the library. Trujillo estimated they check in about 800 items on a typical day. So far, they haven’t had problems with items going missing or people grabbing items off the shelf that aren’t theirs, he said.
“Our community has been very, very, very respectful of all the items that are out there,” he said.
Teen librarian Sonja Somerville loads summer reading prize backpacks on Aug. 26 (Courtesy/Salem Public Library)
Sonja Somerville, Salem’s teen librarian, moved regular social events and arts and crafts nights onto Zoom. The hangouts give teens who frequented the library regularly a place to interact with someone outside their immediate families, which Somerville said many are craving.
“A lot of it’s been looking for ways to maintain connections with teens and give them an opportunity to have a social experience, which they’re missing very much,” she said.
Somerville said adapting to new technology has been a learning curve for her, but she’s relied on teen librarians across the U.S., who have gathered in their own Zoom groups to swap suggestions and practice before hosting programs.
From those groups, she learned about Jackbox, a collection of online party games where players design novelty t-shirts, write jokes or try to bluff their way past friends. That’s now a mainstay of her events, which are held most Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Teen librarians have also created virtual “escape rooms,” where participants must work together to solve puzzles that advance a storyline. Somerville made her own after announcing she’d host a zombie escape event online and finding the existing escape room she planned to use wasn’t long enough for the event. It took her about three days, she said, and is now available for anyone to play online.
Somerville expected teens who were regulars at the library would be the main attendees at virtual library events, but she’s found the group more varied than she expected. Especially for teens too young to drive, she said it can be hard to get to the library in-person for events.
“I’ve actually gotten to know kids online that I have never had a conversation with in-person. And I think it’s really fun,” she said.
The events also give teens a space to talk about what they’re missing – friends, school, regular socialization. Somerville said it’s helpful for her too to hear she’s not the only one fighting loneliness or boredom.
“The meetings serve that dual purpose of both acknowledging that isolation but also relieving that,” she said.
The annual teen talent show went virtual too, which allowed some young people to showcase talents that would have been difficult in the library. One young man demonstrated stalling a skateboard and several other tricks on a ramp.
“I don’t know that I could have supported that on the stage because I would have been too terrified about risk,” Somerville said. “It worked great as a video.”
As summer nears its end, Somerville is also helping coordinate another curbside library effort – prizes for the summer reading program.
Typically, kids and teens who complete the program can stop by the library and pick out a prize book off a cart. This year, she instead ordered many copies of popular teen books and is taking orders from finishers, assembling backpacks of prize items for families to pick up. Last week, they distributed 179 backpacks.
“It was nice to have something normal. Or close to normal,” Somerville said.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
