Library gets innovative during pandemic

The lobby of the library is closed, but Columbia Falls ImagineIF library manager Tony Edmundson is still busy — the doorbell keeps ringing.

The doorbell? In a library?

Yep. The library now offers curbside pickup. It started that service and many others as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

Instead of coming into the library, folks can now just order books over the phone or online and then drive right up to the back door and pick them up.

It’s one of the many ways the library has adapted in the times of a pandemic.

Prior to the pandemic, students used to come to the library after school and work on various projects, depending on their age group. Now Edmundson bags up projects in brown lunch bags and sends them home.

One project was for tie-dye masks. The next one is for robots you make out of toothbrushes. Families are taking them as quickly as Edmundson can make them.

The library still has open hours, but the programs for children have been stopped until the pandemic wanes.

Folks who visit must wear masks and time spent on a computer is now limited to 30 minutes. With high ceilings and open windows, the space has good air circulation to limit the spread of contagions. The library has adapted to the computer crunch, too.

It now has two laptops and seven wifi hot spots it allows patrons to check out. Some folks just park next to the building so they can tap into the library’s wifi in-house.

While the population of Columbia Falls is growing, a lot of people still don’t have good, or affordable, Internet access.

“Wireless is absolutely essential,” Edmundson said. When someone checks out a laptop, it comes with its own hotspot as well.

When it’s returned, Edmundson erases the drive in case sensitive information was inadvertently left behind.

“I can’t see post-Covid not having these (laptops) to check out,” he said.

The ImagineIF library system, which is countywide, plans on adding more hotspots to check out, soon. It now offers Hoopla as a service as well.

Hoopla offers a host of streaming online movies and television shows. People can now get the service free by logging in using their library card.

People can also read ebooks and listen to audio books for free using their library card as well.

Patrons can even have titles suggested to them by library staff. They just fill out a form and the librarians — “Personal Shoppers” — will find the books that might interest them.

“Just leave it to us,” Edmundson said. “We’ll do the rest.”

Curbside pickup of books at Columbia Falls is Tuesday through Friday 11 to 5 and Saturday 10 to 1. To borrow a tablet or hotspot, call 892-5919. For more information on other services, go online at: https://imagineiflibraries.org