November 6, 2020
IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE
Yakima Valley Libraries to Re-Open Some Buildings with Limited Hours and Services
Yakima, WA – Yakima Valley Libraries is pleased to announce that the updated health and safety documents required under Phase 2 of Washington State’s Safe Start plan have been submitted, allowing for the re-opening of some community libraries.
“After careful consideration, it has been determined that the best approach to re-opening our buildings is to do so in phases, beginning with a limited number of libraries,” said executive director, Kim Hixson.
As such, and effective Monday, Nov. 16, the West Valley and Sunnyside community libraries will re-open with modified hours for limited in-person library services.
The Wapato Community Library will re-open with modified hours for limited in-person library services on, or about, Monday, Nov. 30, pending completion of previously scheduled electrical work.
Beginning Nov. 16, open hours for the West Valley Community Library will be Monday-Saturday, 9am to 6pm. Hours for the Sunnyside and Wapato community libraries are still being finalized, and will be posted to the library website (www.yvl.org) by Thursday, November 12.
According to Hixson, a staggered re-opening will enable administrators and managers to evaluate procedures on a small-scale basis, before expanding in-person services to additional community libraries.
Under Phase 2 guidelines, Yakima Valley Libraries is allowed to re-open locations with building access limited to 25 percent, or less, of maximum occupancy. Because building access will be metered and monitored, patrons arriving at a re-opened library may be asked to wait for other patrons to exit before they can be allowed inside.
Per State guidelines, patrons and staff must wear a face covering at all times while inside library premises. Disposable face coverings will be provided to patrons, as needed, with the only exception being for children ages 5 years and under, who are not required to wear a face covering.
In order for the Library to safely serve as many people as possible, patrons will be asked to limit their in-person library visits to 30 minutes per day, and to maintain at least 6 feet of distance between themselves and others at all times.
Similarly, in order to maintain adequate social distancing, a reduced number of public computers will be available, with sessions limited to 30 minutes per day; library staff will be unable to provide any computer assistance that requires contact within 6 feet or less.
Library staff will continue to follow previously-established health, safety, and sanitization guidelines, which includes sanitizing public computers after each use, and the hourly sanitization of self-checkout machines and other high-touch surfaces.
Book returns at all 17 library locations are open for patrons to drop off borrowed materials, and all returns will be quarantined for 48 hours before again being available for checkout.
While services such as interlibrary loan requests and in-person library programming will not resume at this time, the Library’s “Request a Title Feature,” which allows for patrons to suggest materials for the library to purchase, will be re-enabled with some modifications.
Finally, patrons can rest assured that the Library’s Contact-Free Holds Pick Up service will continue to be offered at all 17 Yakima Valley Libraries locations.
For more in-depth information about the Library’s re-opening planning, or to review related documentation, the public may visit: www.yvl.org/healthandsafety.
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