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Date: 5/25/2021
SOUTHAMPTON – Limited browsing officially returned to Edwards Public Library in Southampton on May 18.
According to information released by the library, limited browsing will be available to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 6 p.m. and Wednesdays from 1 to 4 p.m. Family appointments will also now be available at the library on Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Families must make these appointments with the youth librarian, and the children’s room is closed otherwise.
People have a limit of 30 minutes to browse, but no appointments will be necessary during limited browsing hours. All new materials are on display in the area around the circulation desk, and only one or two people can go into the stacks at a time.
Barbara Goldin, the library’s director, told Reminder Publishing that these hours were chosen because the library felt that, staff-wise, it is what they can handle at the moment.
“We will increase the hours as things progress, but there’s a lot to do because we’re also doing curbside pickup,” said Goldin, who added that they have been offering curbside since June 2020. Curbside pickup is still available to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 6 p.m.; Wednesdays from 1 to 4 p.m.; and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“We’ve done over 4,000 bags of curbside delivery,” said Goldin. “Some people still want to do that because it’s safer.”
According to Goldin, curbside pickup is actually more labor-intensive, and the library staff itself has been short-staffed because their budget was cut last year. “Those are some of the reasons we chose those times,” said Goldin. “There’s a lot of preparation involved in both curbside pickup and limited browsing.”
Goldin told Reminder Publishing that Edwards tried offering limited browsing hours back in November and December 2020, but a patron tested positive with COVID-19 and informed the library about the situation.
On top of that, COVID-19 cases throughout the town of Southampton had increased, so the library continued to be closed for browsing during that time period. “We remained close until now,” said Goldin.
With that in mind, Goldin said that the library’s philosophy is to open without having to close again, which is why they are easing back with limited browsing hours. Edwards plans on making their decisions based on guidance from local health officials.
“We imagine that, as Southampton stays in the gray, we will certainly be able to do more,” said Goldin, who also added that the library still requires masks. No public computer use will be allowed at this time, however.
According to Goldin, the library’s accreditation, staffing, and amount of materials they can buy could be affected depending on what happens during the Southampton Town Election vote on the operation proposition override budget, which sits at a little over $718,000. If the library can get accreditation, either through a waiver from the state or through the passing of the override budget, then residents in Southampton will be able to borrow from other libraries.
When the library’s budget was cut last year, Edwards had to close on Mondays, which is still the case now. Goldin also said that the library is looking into possibly cutting evening hours in the future if the override budget does not pass during the election on June 22.
She still has to check with the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners first before making any decision on that, however.