Library continues to serve Demopolis through the pandemic

Like just about everything else when COVID-19 hit, the Demopolis Public Library had to adjust to a new normal.

Director Kathy Owings told the Demopolis Rotary Club Wednesday how the library staff adjusted to the pandemic and how it is continuing to serve its 4,500 active patrons.

Owings was the children’s library director until she was named interim director in early 2019. She assumed her current post Aug. 5, 2019.

That year, she said, more than 32,000 items were checked out from the library. When COVID hit in March 2020, the library shut its doors for seven weeks. While staff members could not interact on a personal level with the public, they stayed in touch using social media. The library began offering curb delivery when patrons wanted to check out books. Many people started parking next to the building to use the library’s WiFi connection.

One positive result of the building being closed is that the staff used the time to weed out old books or those that had not been checked out for a long time. Those books were put on sale, which generated a little income for the facility.

All through the pandemic, Owings said, they tried to keep the public engaged and the library relevant.

Once restrictions were eased the library began opening in phases. Computer use has been cut in half since social distancing still is required between terminals. On-line reservation for books has become popular, and curbside service continues to be offered for those reluctant to go inside.

A lot has returned to normal, but the number of books that can be checked out had to be limited. Owings said every book and audio book that are returned must be sanitized before they can be made available again. That takes a lot of the staff’s time. Now adults can borrow 10 books instead of 30, and children are limited to five books instead of ten.

One section of the library has not returned, and that is magazine access. It is simply too difficult to keep them clean, she said. The same goes for the toys that had been in the children’s library.

At Christmas the library again offered pictures with Santa. Even with the restrictions put in place, the event was well received, Owings said. Storytime started in October, the summer reading program proved a success, and the adult book club has begun meeting monthly again.

Audio books and ebooks have become especially popular over the past 18 months, she continued.

Owings praised the Friends of the Library, she said, a group that is both active and generous.