While the Talbot County Free Library buildings remain closed for the time being, a gradual restarting of services has begun. Beginning Monday, June 1, the book drops at both the Easton and St. Michaels branches will be open around the clock for the return of books and DVDs only.  At this time, the library is not accepting returns of loaned Chromebooks or Wi-Fi hotspots. To ensure the safety of staff and patrons, the library is not taking any book donations until further notice.

According to Director Dana Newman, returned items will be quarantined for a minimum of 5 days and will remain on the patron’s library card until checked-in after the items are removed from quarantine. No fines will be charged while items are in quarantine.All library due dates on items that were checked out prior to closure have been extended until July 31, and no fines will be assessed for materials that were loaned prior to the library closing.

“We are very excited to launch a new Books-to-Go hold service beginning Monday, June 8, at the Easton branch,” said Newman. “Our patrons will be able to reserve materials through the online catalog and pick them up in the vestibule during a specific window of time. Books-to-Go will be available at the St. Michaels branch beginning Monday, June 15. As yet, we don’t have a specific date for reopening the buildings, but in the meantime, we are pleased to be able to once again offer the community books and DVDs for their enjoyment.” Details on how the program will work will be made available on the library’s website at www.tcfl.org.

Starting Monday, June 8, staff will be answering the phone between 10 a.m. -1 p.m., Monday-Thursday, at the Easton branch (410-822-1626).Wi-Fi is available around the clock outside both the Easton and St. Michaels branches.There continues to be host of free eResources and virtual programs available for everyone to enjoy on the library’s website. If you don’t already have a library card, you can get a temporary card online at tcfl.org.

More details on the library’s phased reopening plan will be shared on the library’s website, Facebook page, and via media outlets. For more information, visit tcfl.org, mail askus@tcfl.org, or call 410-822-1626.

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The Talbot County Free Library is diligently working on plans for a phased reopening of its services and facilities. According to Director Dana Newman, the library has adopted a plan that makes safety the top priority while also offering the essential services our patrons have so sorely missed.  “We have missed our patrons, and though the date is still uncertain, we look forward to seeing and serving the community in person again soon,” said Newman. “Because of the continued threat of COVID19, the library is taking a cautious approach toward reopening which includes taking time to plan and get equipped with supplies and institute procedures needed to ensure the health and safety of our staff and patrons. I want to share my deep appreciation for the work that our library staff has done to support our virtual services and programs and to plan for reopening.”

Based on guidance from the Talbot County Health Department, the Talbot County Emergency Operations Center, the State of Maryland, and other best practices recommended by health and safety organizations, the library has implemented a more rigorous cleaning and sanitation plan; reorganized work spaces to promote social distancing; purchased face coverings, sanitizer, and cleaning supplies; and is training staff on new operations and safety procedures.

The library’s reopening plan consists of four phases. The first phase includes opening up the book drop for returns and bringing staff back to prepare for reopening.  Returned books and DVDs will be quarantined for a minimum of 96 hours before being returned to the shelf. No fines will be assessed for materials that were loaned prior to the library closing. In the second phase, the library will launch a new books-to-go service so that patrons can once again reserve and pick up library materials. Future phases of the plan will include reopening the library for patrons to browse the collection, use public computers, and get help from reference and public service staff.  Although dates have not yet been set for these phases, more information will be available soon on the library’s website and Facebook page as dates are determined.

In the meantime, there are a host of eResources and virtual programs available for everyone to enjoy on the library’s website at tcfl.org. Visit the eResources page for links to Libby and hoopla for ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, movies, and television programs. You can acquire a new skill with Gale online courses, learn a new language with Mango Languages, or research your genealogy through Ancestry and other sites. All of these eResources are free with a Talbot County Free Library card. If you don’t already have a library card, you can get a temporary card online at tcfl.org. Wi-Fi continues to be available around the clock outside both the Easton and St. Michaels branches.

Updates on the progress of the library’s reopening plan will be shared on the library’s website, Facebook page and via media outlets.  For more information, visit tcfl.org, email askus@tcfl.org, or call 410-822-1626.

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Young children and families searching for fun, engaging activities to fill the hours at home, need look no farther than the Talbot County Free Library’s Facebook page, which offers a number of free virtual programs to tap into.

Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10 a.m. tune into Virtual Story Time with Ms. Laura and Ms. Amy. Recommended for children up to age five.

Wednesdays at 3 p.m. – Read Along with Me!Get ready with your milk and cookies and join Ms. Laura for a reading of The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo, (available on Hoopla). This event will begin on Facebook Live, Wednesday, April 29, 3:00 p.m., and continue every Wednesday. Fun for the whole family! Recommended for children ages 7 and older.

Senior Youth Services Librarian Laura Powell gets ready for Story Time on Facebook Live.

Wednesdays, May 6, 20, and June 3, 17, 10:30 a.m. – Creative Fun with Tim Young
Join local author/illustrator Timothy Young on Facebook Live as he talks about books, drawing, writing, and other creative stuff. Each fun half-hour show will focus on different creative activities based on his or other authors’ books. Recommended ages 8 and older.

Looking for an escape, but can’t get out of the house? How about a digital escape room? Answer questions, solve puzzles and riddles, and use your smarts to get through the library’s new digital escape room based on the book Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. Featured on the library’s Facebook page, this activity is suitable for older kids and tweens ages 7-12. The eBook of this title is available through the library’s eBook provider Overdrive at www.tcfl.org/eresources. Click on Downloadable Content and scroll down to Overdrive.

For questions about these programs or any of the library’s e-Resources, visit www.tcfl.org or call 410-822-1626.

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During National Library Week, April 19 – 25, the Talbot County Free Library invites all community members to find the library in their own homes by visiting the website www.tcfl.org to access virtual services and resources. While the library’s physical spaces are temporarily closed due to COVID-19, people can still enjoy the library’s ebooks, movies, video games, online storytimes, and much more—all from the safety of their home.

“The Talbot County Free Library has been a cultural hub for our community for 95 years,” said Director Dana Newman. “We are determined to do even more during these difficult times to make sure the people of Talbot County receive the information and library resources they need to successfully weather COVID-19.”

During this time of crisis the Talbot County Free Library has responded to the community’s needs in innovative and inspiring ways by providing internet hotspots, online reading resources, online children’s programs and virtual story time, frequent community updates, 3D printed safety masks for healthcare workers, coaching for seniors navigating online food ordering, temporary virtual library cards, and so much more.

This week, check out the library’s Facebook page and website for posts highlighting staff and services and other fun activities that you can do from home. Children and adults are encouraged to help celebrate National Library Week, National Poetry Month, reading, and being creative by submitting poetry, writing, pictures, or photos of other art forms about any subject that inspires you to share your creative spirit. Submissions can be sent to celebratereading@tcfl.org and will be published on the library’s page.

Individuals can also submit the titles of two of their favorite books to celebratereading@tcfl.org and, based upon those two titles, library staff will recommend two other eBook titles for you to enjoy from Hoopla.

The following children’s programs will be available on the Library’s Facebook page this week:
– Story time on Facebook Live, Tuesday and Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Great family engagement activity for watching and interacting together. Recommended ages birth – five.

– Creative Fun with Tim Young, Wednesday, April 22, 10:30 a.m.Join the ever-entertaining children’s book author and illustrator, Tim Young, for interactive drawing and writing fun.

Access the library’s Facebook Live events here: https://www.facebook.com/130124829867/live/

For more information about services provided by the Talbot County Free Library or for help navigating their online resources, visit www.tcfl.org or call 410-822-1626.

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In keeping with Governor Hogan’s directive that libraries, schools, and non-essential businesses remain closed and that everyone practice social distancing, both the Easton and St. Michaels branches of the Talbot County Free Library will remain closed until further notice.

This does not mean that the library itself is closed.  A multitude of library services are now available online.  To see a list of these services, the library asks that you visit www.tcfl.org, click on the “Find” tab in the upper right hand corner of the library’s homepage, and then click on eResources in the drop-down menu that appears.  To use these eResources, you will need to have a library card.  If you don’t already have one, you can get a temporary library card by going to the library’s homepage (www.tcfl.org), clicking on the “Find” tab in the upper right hand corner of the page, clicking on “Get a Library Card” in the drop-down menu that appears, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page that appears to the paragraph headed “Online Card Registration.”

Students and their families who are now schooling at home will find a wealth of online learning opportunities in the library’s eResources, everything from online tutoring to learning a foreign language to actual coursework.

You can also find a number of services available for children by clicking on the “Creative Fun for Kids at Home” image on the right hand side of the library’s homepage, or you can scroll down to the bottom left side of the homepage for links to even more resources for parents and children.

In addition, library staff continue to work from home: answering all manner of research questions submitted to the library’s “Contact Us” page (found under the homepage’s “About” tab), preparing live Facebook Story Time programs for children and families at home, sending out important community information eBlasts to the citizens of Talbot County, developing our Virtual Library offerings, and working hard to keep the machinery of a cutting-edge library system functioning for one and all.

Library Director Dana Newman said, “The Talbot County Free Library has always been our community’s source of information, forum, and place of refuge all rolled into one.  At this time, when up-to-the-minute information is crucial to our community’s ability to navigate the COVID-19 crisis, the Board and staff of the Talbot County Free Library are committed to doing everything in our power to keep our community informed, secure, and healthy.  During the enforced closure of the library’s building, library staff members continue to work hard developing virtual programming for the people we serve, as well as plans and programs that can be (and will be) implemented the moment the library reopens.”

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When a friend who is a nurse told the Talbot County Free Library’s Amy Wise that Easton Memorial Hospital has been forced to ration Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for staff due to the COVID-19 outbreak, she decided to do something about it.  Using the library’s 3D printer,Wise went to work creating face shields designed to keep our health care workers safe as they care for their patients.

It turns out the shields are not easy to make.  Each print job takes a little over 6 hours to complete, and Wise has found that trying to run the printers all day causes errors to creep into the end-product.  So, frustratingly, she has to take her time.  Currently (with help from Dr. Andrew Thaler of Blackbeard Biologic, who donated the printer to the library), Wise is able to create just three shields a day.  Still, despite the slow pace, she expects to send 15 new, sterilized shields to the hospital this week, with 15 more to follow as soon as more plastic arrives.

Amy Wise’s daughter, Olivia, modeling a face shield.

But COVID-19 has presented area health care workers with yet another unexpected problem.  It turns out that wearing a face mask hooked over your ears all day takes a toll.  Many nurses are finding the tender skin behind their ears is becoming inflamed and even, in some cases, beginning to bleed.  To alleviate the problem, Wise has begun using the 3D printer to create fitted plastic bands (rather like the ones at the back of baseball caps) that allow health care workers to secure their face masks behind their heads instead of over their ears.  Thankfully, the bands only take about half an hour to print.

It seems fitting that later this month (4/19-25/20), we’ll celebrate National Library Week.  Here in Talbot County our library’s Amy Wise has shown us in how many different—and often unexpected ways—the Talbot County Free Library can make our community a better, safer place to live.

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Beginning this coming Tuesday, April 7, at 10:00 a.m., and continuing every Tuesday at 10:00 a.m. thereafter, the Talbot County Free Library will take to Facebook to offer a live Story Time program for preschoolers (birth – 5 years of age).  Children’s Librarian Laura Powell will read stories, lead group sing-alongs, and generally having a good time making sure our community’s little ones remain entertained and engaged during this difficult period in all of our lives.  Parents can find the library’s live Story Time at: www.facebook.com/Talbot-County-Free-Library-130124829867/

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For children and parents stuck at home thanks to COVID-19, the Talbot County Free Library has created an entire page full of links that will take parents to sites designed to keep their children entertained, distracted, and learning while they’re stuck at home.  Parents can go to the library’s webpage (www.tcfl.org), click on the “Creative Fun for Kids at Home” photo halfway down the right hand side of the page, and then choose from twenty different sites providing children with everything from live story reading and drawing events from renowned children’s author Tim Young to a museum tour of the Maryland Science Center for kids.  Parents do not need a library card to access any of these sites.

Among the offerings to be found on this page are three links to the Tumble Books Library eResource.  During the COVID-19 pandemic, TumbleBooks, a world leader in online children’s book databases, has decided to make its entire family of online libraries available free to all public libraries until at least August 31.  The Tumble Book Library is a collection of animated talking picture books, read-alongs, ebooks, quizzes, lesson plans, and educational games used by thousands of schools and public libraries in over 100 countries around the world.

To access the Tumble Books Library directly, go to http://www.tcfl.org/child/kidsathome.html, and then scroll down to the links beneath the Tumble Books Library logo at the bottom of the page.

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