All of us at the Elsie Quirk Library want the community to know how much we miss seeing you in our building. We are very busy providing services at a distance, making the library clean and improved for the time when we can reopen, and creating new means of providing the valuable resources the public relies on us for; but we miss the liveliness of patrons coming in and out, sharing stories, asking interesting questions, tapping away on the computers, hopping along to storytime, making us laugh (or sometimes cry) about their days. But, our primary concern, of course, is the wellbeing of the entire community. We are putting our minds, hearts, and imaginations to work inventing new ways of serving the community robustly while doing our part to protect the public health.
Fortunately, library staff are an adaptable, creative bunch! We are thinking about the services we know our patrons are most missing, as well as the challenges everyone is facing under new circumstances, and channeling our Rosie the Riveter energy to provide what is needed. We welcome your phone calls, whether you are seeking information on locations for student lunch programs, are researching the history of elephant migration and have run into a dead end, are confused by the mass of information online and need help with fact checking resources, are home with kids and looking for enrichment or entertainment ideas, or have a question that you’re just not sure who to ask.
Elsie Quirk is also offering tech help by phone. If you’ve heard about all of these library apps but are overwhelmed by the proposition of learning them, give us a call and we will help you get connected with e-books, e-audios, streaming movies and music, perusing magazines, accessing craft projects, language lessons, and more.
We also know that a profound value of public libraries is the community connection and safe, positive environment they provide. Social distancing is essential to our physical health right now, but it can be hard on our mental wellbeing. We are producing resources and programs to help the community stay connected, and to help patrons access tools for stress relief, supportive human interaction, and positive coping strategies. Check in with us for details and let us know how we can help.
Alison, Jill, Kim, Amy, Alyssa, Victor, Ashley, Cris, Michele and I are enthusiastically committed to continuing to serve the community to the very best of our abilities as we navigate these uncharted waters, and we are thinking of our patrons with the most positive of energy. For general questions, our phone number is (941) 861-1203, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. For tech help by phone, our number is (941) 861–1209, between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
