During the closure, patrons could still check out books and pick them up via curbside pickup. Virtual programming, ranging from informative workshops to book recommendations and yoga classes, also provided a bit of solace to patrons in the months before the library reopened. However, few things could replace the magic of browsing a collection of books in person or connecting with others in the safe space provided by community libraries.
“The serendipity of finding the perfect book in the library had been lost,” said Lisa Santucci, the director of the Tipp City Public Library. “That’s when people were panicky, and they were panicking because they didn’t know how to find things for themselves, because they couldn’t have that experience. That’s when we decided to create the curbside option. We even put a phone at the back door if somebody came in who was older and didn’t have a cell phone. They would give us an author that they liked, and we could pull things that were similar. So, we were trying to re-create the serendipitous experience for them.”
The closure of the library also made it harder for patrons to benefit from the many services that it typically offers — including its printers, computers and WiFi. Denying their patrons access to some of these resources was troubling for Santucci and her staff.
“This gentleman would pull up with his car and sit on our front steps with a blanket and his laptop because he had to get WiFi,” said Santucci. “He needed our internet.”
During its temporary closure, the Tipp City Public Library used state and federal grants to make a number of large and small changes designed to improve the experience of every patron. These changes and improvements include a new bathroom on the first floor of the library. In the past, there was only one bathroom in the library’s basement for patrons to use.
Posted by Downtown Tipp City Partnership on Monday, March 1, 2021
“The decision was made to build a completely new bathroom on our first floor to make it easier for older patrons to use,” said Santucci. “We put it in our children’s department. It also has the capacity for a chair and a changing table for a nursing mother. It’s a family bathroom.”
The library replaced water fountains with touchless bottle-filling stations. Additionally, to ensure that social distancing requirements are met, the library’s computer stations have been spaced out. Staff members will also be disinfecting surfaces every hour. Those who wish to enter the library are required to abide by all state COVID-related guidelines, like wearing a mask and practicing social distancing.
Guests are also encouraged to pay a visit to the library’s two new murals. The first mural, painted by Atalie Gagnet, is located on the exterior wall of the library that faces the alley that the library shares with Coldwater Café. Tipp City artist Rusty Harden was also commissioned to bring the beauty of the outdoors into the library with her Charleston Falls mural which patrons can find on a set of doors in the basement.
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Credit: Tom Gilliam
Though it is now open to the public, the library will continue offering a curbside pickup option for those who do not feel comfortable visiting the library in person. The curbside option will be available during the library’s new hours of operation.
The Tipp City Public Library is located at 11 E. Main St. in downtown Tipp City. The library will now be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information about the Tipp City Public Library, visit tippcitylibrary.org.
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