Inside the Brownsville Public Library on Central Boulevard, a lot of things have changed for the past 11 months since they’ve been closed. Without toddlers running around on the children’s section, no families eating together at the café, no students working together at the big tables and no tutors meeting with students, the library, for the first time, is very, very quiet.
As one enters the library the distinctive smell of books is still here. The thousands and thousands of books are still getting organized, the catalog continues to grow, even with the library still closed and most importantly, the staff is still there waiting for the day when they are able to reopen again.
“We miss them, sometimes it is like ‘OMG, it’s so quiet’ we miss that interaction,” Melinda Clayton, public services supervisor, said. “Sometimes people come outside and we try to help them as much as we can, within the limits that have been set, but we do want them back. When we do open we will keep curbside services so that if they feel safer we can still give them what they need.”
The catalog gets updated almost daily with the staff members always looking for new books, dvd’s and videogames to bring to the community. While a lot has changed in these 11 months such as the big couches with outlets being removed, the tables limiting only a seat per table per social distancing guidelines and plexiglass on the checkout desks, staff members have continued their operations by offering virtual and curbside services.
“We really had to reevaluate how we provide services,” Chayse Sundt, librarian, said. “Making sure that the services we provide during the pandemic, maintain not only our employees safe, but most importantly the patrons that we serve, safe. A lot of our services have actually gone virtual and we’ve actually implemented and thought of new programs to bring a new way of providing a different type of library services to the public.”
A few months ago, the library started implementing curbside services for books, dvd’s, videogames and for its “take and make” art craft program that has been designed not only for children but for adults, too. On Fridays they even give out popcorn to those checking out DVDs so they can have a movie night at home. Before COVID-19, the library would regularly host movie nights at its facility with free popcorn and pickles.
Officials said the curbside service has been a success. With the community spending most of their time at home, they are finally finding the time to read books or have movie nights regularly either by themselves or with their family.
Sundt said there has been a¼ steady increase in people returning to use their library card and taking advantage of either the curbside or online services.
“What we’ve also noticed is that there has been a lot of people that may not used our services before and now have come back,” he said. “So, we are doing a lot of renewal of cards. When we think about checking out books and checking out stuff, that falls under the umbrella of literacy.
“Here, we are trying to find new ways of providing literacy in new and exciting ways, and it’s not just for books but also for teaching classes. I think curbside has increased over the months because when we first started we were barely getting the information out and trying to figure out the do’s and dont’s of what works for us and what works for our patrons. So there has been that steady increase.”
For many, the library feels like home. Attending at least almost every weekend to check out new books and movies, buying nachos and iced coffee while reading the magazines or even buying books for a few cents at “Friends of the Library” are all part of a ritual that is missed so much in Brownsville.
“One of the things that really shaped me was having a place to go, having a place to checkout books,” Clayton said. “I was definitely one of those families that didn’t have money to spend on things, we didn’t have a computer. So even after, the university library was a big part of it. Having a place where you can go and access the library it’s a huge thing.”
It is still unknown when the library will be able to open again but residents are hopeful it will be soon. The Brownsville City Commission has to vote on it to decide when it is safe to open, but with COVID-19 cases going down, one can only hope it may be soon.
“Safety is going to be our top concern and obviously we understand that as individuals we need that interaction,” Sundt said when asked about the day they are able to reopen. “So sometimes we go from a quiet place to a quieter place. Sometimes we get excited when we answer the phone because we are talking and it is the knowing of being able, that even though we are closed, we are still here and we want to help and be able to provide a service.”
