As part of Phase 2 of the building’s reopening, the Port Washington Public Library has announced that they will begin to accept returned library materials. To get the word out and to encourage patrons to return any materials they may have at home, the library has launched their “Bring It Back!” campaign.
At the beginning of the New York State shutdown due to COVID-19, PWPL urged all patrons to keep any materials they had checked out from the library at home until it was safe for on-site services to resume. But as the library sets about entering its reopening phases and prepares for staff and patrons to come back to the building, it has been decided that it is time for the material return process to begin.
“There are currently 12,000 items checked out across Port Washington,” Library Director Keith Klang said. “The first step we need to take is to ask all our patrons to return materials they no longer wish to have so we can quarantine them safely and begin setting the stage for loaning out materials.”
As part of the “Bring It Back!” initiative, the library will be accepting returned materials starting on Monday, June 15. Patrons may bring any library items they have had at home these last few months, including books, DVDs, or devices, back to the building where staff will be available to accept the items Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Materials on loan from other Nassau County libraries may also be returned to PWPL. Returned items will not be checked in right away, and will be quarantined for at least 72 hours after their receipt before reentering circulation.
The “Bring It Back!” campaign will run until Sept. 1. If patrons are unable to return items right away or would like to hang on to them a little longer, they have until that date to bring back the materials without incurring any fines.
“After several months at home, we are excited to begin the process of offering safe, on-site services once again,” Klang said. The “Bring It Back!” initiative marks the start of the library’s reopening process, and is the first step in implementing additional physical services such as curbside pickup, slated to begin in the coming weeks.
