Reopening Plans for Richards Library
The Richards Library will reopen to limited days and services starting Monday, July 13th, 2020. The library will be open to the public on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 AM-3 PM and will be closed on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday until further notice. As part of its reopening plan, certain measures will be in place to ensure the public health and safety of our patrons and staff. This is our top priority.
When normal deliveries have commenced, the staff, upon receiving materials for its patrons, will call those people and set up a date and time when they may pick up their books, DVDs, etc. Patrons will be allowed to come into the library but may not proceed past the entry control point set up at the Library Avenue entrance. All patrons MUST wear a face covering, i.e., surgical mask, homemade mask, scarf, etc., that covers their mouth and nose or they will be asked to leave until such time they have the proper covering. Gloves are optional but recommended. If patrons would like to only return borrowed materials, they may bring them to the Library Avenue book drop anytime. Returned materials will be quarantined 3 days before check in, but no late fees will be charged for the foreseeable future.
If patrons would like to order materials, they have 2 options to do so. 1) They may call the library at 518-623-3011 and a member of the staff can order their materials for them, or, 2) Go to the library’s web page, www.therichardslibrary.com, where you will see an icon that states, “Books, DVDs & More”. Click the link below that to go to the catalog. Upon entering, please sign in to your account by using your library card barcode number as your user name and the last 4 digits of your home phone as the password. This should bring you to the on-line catalog for the Richards Library. At this time, we can only fill requests from our collection. Requests for materials from other libraries is suspended until further notice. If you experience any problems, contact the library and a staff member will assist you. Please remember, that there are certain quarantine protocols that need to be maintained and requested holds to delivery to scheduled pick up may take up to an additional 3 days.
Services such as copying and faxing are suspended until such time that the Board deems it safe. Procedures for those services are pending. Also, the public will not have access to our computers until it is safe and protocols have been established. The library does provide free Wi-Fi, 24/7, and patrons may use their phones, tablets or laptops to connect to the Internet outside on the library’s patio (please remember to practice social distancing) or from their parked car. Finally, all programming and use of the library’s community room is suspended.
As we proceed forward in a cautious manner, we ask all of our patrons to be patient. We too are anxious to return to “normal” times. Any future changes in times and services will be posted on the library’s web page, Facebook page (Facebook.com/Richards Library) and this publication. Finally, we would like to thank all the community members for voting in the June 16th Referendum and passing the library budget for FY 2021. We thank you for your support and we won’t let you down!