PIERCE COUNTY, Washington – The Pierce County Library System Board of Trustees will discuss how the Library System continues to serve communities during the pandemic, its 2021 budget and strategic work plan, results from its Summer Reading program, and other issues at its meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 14, 3:30 p.m.
Join the meeting by phone or online:
- Phone: 253-215-8782, webinar identification: 972 4148 2087, passcode: 090783
- Zoom with a Zoom account: zoom.us/j/97241482087?pwd=RkRwU2k4NnJvM28vMk1pZUxlTVZBdz09
- Zoom with a Zoom account: zoom.us/j/97241482087?pwd=RkRwU2k4NnJvM28vMk1pZUxlTVZBdz09
Library services during COVID-19:
- Online tools for students are helping many parents-turned teachers support their children’s remote learning. The Library added TumbleMath after a trial run this summer. TumbleMath uses animated and narrated stories to teach math concepts for children, making math fun and learning stick.
- Library Curbside continues to grow in interest for people wanting physical books, movies and other items. Next week, the Library will add Anderson Island as a curbside location to the 18 locations already offering the service.
- Online Library (downloads.pcls.us) remains the primary way people are reading with downloads of e-books and audiobooks driving demand for the Library to bolster offerings.
- On Oct. 6, Washington State’s Safe Start plan updated to allow libraries to offer some in-building activities at 25% capacity. Pierce County Library is reviewing the Safe Start guidelines for in-building library service and developing plans. The health and safety of the public and staff is a top priority of the Library’s reopening plans. The Library will share more information about its plans and timeline in the coming weeks.
2021 Budget and work plan. COVID-19 will continue to re-shape library services in 2021 and how the Library delivers on the focus areas of learning, enjoyment and community outlined in the Library’s Strategic Plan. The Library is committed to ensuring parents have the resources to raise thriving children, people have access to excellent reading for pleasure to reduce stress and share joy, and Pierce County communities have the knowledge and resources to make confident choices. In 2021, the Library plans to continue curbside service, giving people convenient and safe access to books and materials. It also plans to pilot new ways to get books, materials and other services to people where they are, versus where the library buildings are located. It plans to offer lockers where people can pick up books and movies they have reserved and get them at a time that works for them. At the November meeting, the Library Board will review the 2021 budget and conduct its first hearing on the budget.
Summer Reading program. The program was definitely different this year, as were most activities in 2020. Most of the “Dig Deeper: Read, Investigate, Discover!” program was online. Participation was difficult to determine. In all, more than 4,000 children, teenagers and adults signed up for the online program and logged 1.9 million minutes of reading. This accounting is down considerable from the in-person and online Summer Reading program in 2019, where 37,000 people participated and read 17 million minutes.
Full board packet: www.piercecountylibrary.org/files/library/board-packet-10142020.pdf.