UPDATE Sunday, March 22:
Dear friends,
Another update. The Leavenworth County Health Officer released an Emergency Health Order on Saturday, March 21 that will go into effect March 24 at 12:00AM, and will remain in effect until midnight April 23, 2020.
The Order directs all residents to remain at their place of residence, except to conduct Essential Activity. You can read the order here.
Therefore, the Library will close our physical library, including our drive-thru, until further notice beginning March 25. Staff will be working from home and can still be reached by filling out a Contact Us Form on our website or by emailing us at patronupdate@100.26.176.2. Telephone messages will be checked periodically.
Thank you for your understanding. Please stay well.
Diana
UPDATE Sunday, March 15:
Dear friends,
In the interest of public health and safety, we have made the difficult decision to close the library building to the public until at least March 30. Further responses will be considered as deemed necessary.
What will not be open:
- The library building will not be open to the public. All programs have been canceled.
What will be open:
- We will still have our drive-thru open so patrons can pick up holds. We believe that the recommended social distance can still be maintained while serving our patrons through the drive-thru.
- Our digital services, including our eLibrary platforms – Sunflower eLibrary and Hoopla (and coming soon Tumblebooks) will be available.
- Our website, including our Contact Us and our Place Hold services; staff will continue to monitor and respond.
- Our telephones.
What may be delayed:
- If you return books through our dropbox, they may not get checked in right away.
- If you place holds on items, they may be delayed from other libraries as many libraries are also closing. If we have the book on our shelves, we will fill the hold as soon as possible.
Remember: we don’t charge fines, so don’t worry about that. We will not charge anyone for items returned late, and we will adjust due dates for items already checked out.
We are still here to help. We just want to keep everyone healthy as best we can. If you have any questions, please call 724-2828 or email us at patronupdate@100.26.176.2.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
UPDATE Saturday, March 14:
You may have heard that USD #458 has decided to extend Spring Break for one more week on the advice of Leavenworth County Health Officials. They are recommending no more than 250 people gather at one time, and that “social distance” should be at least 4 feet. That, of course, would be impossible to maintain in our schools.
In the library, however, we are in a better position to be able to maintain distance and stay under the maximum capacity. It has not been confirmed that the virus can live on surfaces for any length of time. Hand washing is confirmed to kill the virus. We feel confident, given the verified information available, that we can stay safe by washing our hands frequently and using hand sanitizer.
However, things change. We are monitoring the Leavenworth County Health Department Facebook page as well as the KDHE and the CDC. We will keep you informed of any decisions about closing to the public, or closing the library entirely.
Thursday, March 12: We want to let you know our current plans and response regarding the COVID-19 virus.
As always, we prioritize the safety and health of our patrons and staff. We will continue serving our patrons’ library needs, while at the same time, plan ahead for changing circumstances.
We want to assure you that our team, including the facilities maintenance crew, work really hard to keep our building as clean as possible, including cleaning and sanitizing public spaces and surfaces. We regularly clean and sanitize the computer keyboards, and the toys in the Children’s area. We offer multiple hand sanitizing stations throughout the library for use by staff and patrons.
As per our Emergency Procedures Policy, we will rely on the expertise of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for direction about further actions. If these precautions are recommended, we will consider:
- Limiting programming and outreach events
- Limiting open hours and services
- Closing to the public until the threat is over
We encourage everyone to learn about how COVID-19 spreads and what you can do to protect yourself and others. Seek verifiable information from trusted sources, like the above mentioned agencies. The best things you can do, according to experts, are to:
- wash your hands frequently
- avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
- cover your coughs and sneezes
- drink plenty of water
Most importantly, if you feel sick, stay home except to seek medical care.
And remember, that through the Basehor Library eLibrary, you have access to a large collection of digital media including books, audiobooks, magazines, and movies without ever leaving home.
Call us if you need help with these services. Our drive-thru is open whenever the library is open.
Take good care, everyone!