Baldwin library’s new indoor seating, outdoor lockers

I miss the camaraderie of in-person activities, especially with the children, because they are so fun, but we are all a bit anxious to make sure we are safe.”

Meghan LaDue, Baldwin Public Library

Last week, the Baldwin Public Library started allowing residents to sit down indoors again with new socially distanced seating, which has been made available for the first time since March 2020, when the pandemic first hit.

After a year and three months of the library refraining from offering indoor seating options due to the pandemic, staff members said they have high hopes that the new seating will attract more residents to the library.

“It’s only been one week, so it’s hard to say if the amount of people coming to the library has increased with the new indoor seating, but I can guarantee that the amount of people who visit us will increase because of the now available seats,” said Library Director Elizabeth Olesh, who has been serving in her role since May 2014. “Even though we just started providing some seating for residents, we have been providing residents with the ability to use our computers since we opened in early October.”

When the pandemic first hit, the building was closed to the public during the New York pause restrictions. During that time, staff members worked from home and the library provided curbside service. At the beginning of October, the building reopened to allow people into the library to browse and use the computers for hour-long sessions.

The library staff also took the time to go through the library database to find all the patrons in the system, calling the residents to inform them that the library had reopened.

“We asked people to limit their stay to an hour per day at that time to use computers and, honestly, people were very respectful of that,” Olesh said. “Our circulation has dropped somewhat since the pandemic hit, but not as much as you would expect. People are still checking out materials even when they weren’t coming to sit in the library as much.”

According to Olesh, the library currently does not offer any in-person activities and the programs are being conducted virtually, via Zoom. The library’s audio books and e-books circulation went up during the New York pause, especially among teenagers. For the first time, the library also offers outdoor lockers for residents to pick up library materials in a socially distanced way outside of the building.

“The Baldwin Public Library is the first in Nassau County to offer lockers outside of a library building,” said Rena Rosenthal, a reference librarian at the Baldwin Public Library. “All people have to do is call or email the library and request for books, then we put it in their locker and they can pick it up. I think it’s great that we are offering seating now outside of just at the computer stations because people really depend on the library for a lot.”

Many of the library staff members said they have high hopes that as more people come to find out about the seating available and as more people get vaccinated, the circulation numbers will go up.

“I have completed both doses of the Pfizer vaccine and it makes me feel more comfortable while doing my job,” Rosenthal added. “The library staff has done a lot to try to keep everyone safe. We fill out health questionnaires every day before we come to work, we have face masks available for patrons and we have plastic protective barriers everywhere, as well as hand sanitizers everywhere and, now that people are getting vaccinated, things will be better and hopefully safer.”

“I miss the camaraderie of in-person activities, especially with the children, because they are so fun, but we are all a bit anxious to make sure we are safe,” said Meghan LaDue, a clerk at the library’s circulation desk. “I want everyone back for in-person activities, but not if it will put us at risk . . . I’m starting to feel more comfortable knowing that more people are getting vaccinated.”