No-Contact “Curbside” Lending Starts June 8

We are excited to announce a plan for no-contact “curbside” lending of library materials starting Monday, June 8! Items available for loan will include books, audiobooks, DVDs and BluRays, magazines and music CDs ordered through our online catalog. Curbside access to small print jobs will also be provided via email.
1.     You will need your library card number and login information to place reserves. If you haven’t logged in to our catalog before and need your information, please email info@nulllangdonlibrary.org or call and leave a voice mail at 603-436-5154.
2.     A limit of five (5) items may be checked out via curbside per week, and a limit of ten (10) pages may be printed per week. Please send an email with your print jobs attached to info@nulllangdonlibrary.org
3.     Curbside pickup hours will begin on Mondays and Thursdays from 1 PM to 4 PM, with appointments spaced 15 minutes apart. Appointments will be made in order of reserve placement.
4.     Staff will wear masks and gloves and practice good hand hygiene while finding reserved items, checking them out, and placing them in a paper bag. Bags will be marked with library card numbers and time of pick-up appointment. Names will be omitted both on and in the bags to protect library user confidentiality.
5.     Bags will be placed on a folding table outside before curbside hours begin. Signage with instructions and the library phone number will be placed on the table as well, for any questions that arise.
Answers to some FAQ:
What if I already have items on reserve? We will prioritize lending of items which were already reserved by patrons prior to the library closure. In the coming week, we will call everyone with existing reserves to ask if they want the item via curbside pickup or to have it moved to the next person on the list.
I usually choose books I read by browsing at the library. How will I choose books when I don’t know what to search in the catalog? Library staff are currently creating lists of recommendations of popular books and award-winners. “What Newington is Reading” lists from the last few years have been compiled here, with titles that our staff and patrons agree are worth reading. You can reserve them directly from this page. We also update the New York Times bestseller list with titles owned by our library every week. And you can always email us and ask for recommendations, or request titles we don’t own, at info@nulllangdonlibrary.org and director@nulllangdonlibrary.org
I’ve never reserved a book in the catalog before. Where do I find the catalog, and how do I log in and place reserves? You can visit the catalog by clicking here. You may also find it by going to www.langdonlibrary.org, clicking on “What to Check Out,” and then “Search the Catalog/Log In.” This navigates you away from our website and to the “OPAC,” our library’s Online Public Access Catalog. There is a link to instructions on how to place reserves in the “News and Messages” section of the main page of the OPAC.
Can I place reserves using email or by phone message instead? We will fill requests placed anywhere we receive them, but the ones placed in the catalog will be filled first, since that is the most efficient way for staff to keep track of them.
You stopped lending in March due to safety concerns for patrons and staff. Is it safe to lend now? After we closed the library in March, we put a procedure in place to quarantine and disinfect returned materials using CDC recommendations for shared surfaces. We have now acquired PPE for staff such as KN-95 masks, and gloves, which were not available when we first closed. We took time to study “best practices” for curbside procedures, which is how we came up with the idea of a table outside and using paper instead of plastic bags. We will continue to monitor safety concerns and adapt our procedures accordingly.
Can I make a donation for print jobs like I would if I were in the building? Donations are welcome but not necessary. If you want, you may write a check for an amount you wish and put it in an envelope in the book drop.
When will the library building reopen? We are still in the planning stages. The very thing that makes libraries vital to their communities, bringing people together, makes them risky to reopen during this crisis. Though Newington has a small number of COVID 19 cases, the library reopening (especially while other libraries are still closed) would draw people from out of town and increase risks for both library staff and patrons. Each reopening stage will be carefully planned with safety as our highest priority.
Will online services like Hoopla remain available now that physical lending is resuming? Yes. Virtual and digital resources will continue for members of the community who do not wish to participate in physical lending.
Where do I return materials? Patrons with last names A through R may use the book drop to return items checked out before the closure by Sunday, June 7, and patrons with last names A through Z may return items checked out before the closure by Sunday, June 14. Patrons may use the book drop any time at their convenience after these dates. Please do not leave items on the curbside pickup table.
When can I start placing curbside requests, and how many can I place? You can start right now, and there is no limit! We will only fill 5 per week to start, but you can place as many as you want.
We are excited to start lending materials again and look forward to filling your requests!