Dear community,

 

In order to keep connected with each other and share information, all Library staff have been meeting by Zoom every two weeks. Since the Library always thrives on providing fun and creative experiences for customers, we're doing the same with our staff meetings. The mid-March meeting was "funny hat day" and yesterday we encouraged team members to bring their pets (or photos, or stuffed animals, or any special creature.) We also had a very special visit from Half Moon Bay's Sweet Farm, a non-profit animal sanctuary. A large portion of their funding comes from farm visits, so to supplement right now they are offering "Goat-2-Meeting" - they drop into your video conference to do a quick intro of the farm and then introduce you to the animals! We got to learn about and meet Esther the super cuddly turkey, Callum the tom turkey (pictured above at bottom, right), Steve and Dan the roosters (an inseparable gay couple), Martin and Franklin the sheep, and Paco the llama. If you too want to see animals on Zoom, don't forget to join us tonight for our first pet meetup, Online Doggy Date at 5pm (with a Cat and All Animal Happy Hour to follow).

 

At the meeting, we talked about modified library service so that we can eventually provide you with access to our physical materials and spaces. A revised shelter in place order will be extended through May, but we are preparing for a variety of phased reopening scenarios in the months ahead, such as curbside holds pickup and computers by reservation. With any approach, we have our eye on equity of access to ensure that we meet the needs of our entire community. Any form of library service will meet San Mateo County Health orders and ensure that our customers and staff are protected with appropriate PPE, social distancing and safety measures.

 

Staff from our Youth Services team discussed the Summer Learning Challenge and how we are working closely with Peninsula Library System to develop an online reading log and with the Redwood City School District on book delivery to students. With our partners, we are developing a set of online programs to help keep your kids active and engaged this summer. Our Homework Centers may not be open the day that we open, but as an alternative we wholeheartedly recommend our online tutoring service, Brainfuse, which provides live, bilingual access to expert tutors from 1 to 10 pm, seven days a week.

 

Library staff have been working to connect with you. I encourage you to read on to learn about the virtual programs and services we are offering. We are available by phone and email, if you have any questions about your library account or need help accessing any of our online services. Lastly, you can discover everything the library has to offer at www.redwoodcity.org/library.

 

Stay well,

Derek