Uncategorized

Summer Reading update

Greeting Summer Readers!
We are halfway through the summer reading program at Van Horn Library! So far we have given away almost 100 prizes for completed challenge sheets, given out nearly 400 craft kits, and talked to some amazing scientists. Keep up all the good work!


There are 4 more weeks of summer reading to go, but we will continue accepting challenge sheets until school starts up again. A reminder that you can do each color sheet once, and that we do have limited prize supplies, so if we run out we will offer a different prize option.


Craft kits can continue to be picked up on Mondays from 10am to 2pm, through July 27th. We also have limited amounts of craft kits from previous weeks, so if you missed any, we do have some leftovers.


We have really enjoyed the video chats we’ve done with scientists through the Skype-A-Scientist program. We have one more scheduled chat coming up on Friday, July 10th at 10am with genetics scientist Sarah Laskey. We are also considering adding one or two more video chats, so stay tuned for more information.


Starting today (7/6), VHPL is hosting a Pine Island Alphabet Hunt on our Facebook page and Instagram! Every weekday, we will post a letter of the alphabet from somewhere around Pine Island. Families are invited to guess where we found each letter and post pictures of that letter they’ve found in other places! Don’t forget: you can send us the picture of your Pine Island Alphabet and we will print a poster of it for you!

Coming up in mid-July we will be offering a program called “Clueseum,” where teams try to solve a mystery in and around the library. Half-hour sessions will be offered Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9:30am and 6pm starting July 14th and running through August 6th. Teams of up to 10 people can sign up for a time to come in and try their hand at the mystery! To sign up, call or email the library (at 356-8558 or pipl@selco.info respectively) starting July 7th.


We have a couple more programs we’re hoping to announce soon, but we are still working out all the details. Make sure to check our Facebook page and website for the latest information!
Happy Reading!

News

Open for appointments

open by appointmentAre you going through VHPL withdrawal? We are happy to announce that today is the first day we are open for browsing appointments!

Make your appointment today by calling us at 507-356-8558! Appointments last 30 minutes and are on the hour from 11am-5pm. We are not able to allow people to loiter in the library at this time, so please be prepared to leave as soon as you find and check out your items. 

 We strongly encourage all patrons to wear face masks while in the library, as a courtesy to other patrons who may be at higher risk and to library staff. We have hand sanitizer near the entrance and ask that patrons please use it when entering the building.

Curbside service continues to be available if you don’t need to browse, but already know what you’d like to check out.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding. We look forward to seeing you!

News

Reopening Plan

Have you been wondering what the library has planned for reopening? Take a look at our phased reopening plan! Our COVID-19 Preparedness Plan is on the last page, so read all the way to the end.

We are looking to hit Phase 4 on Monday, June 29, and allow up to three families/individuals to look for books at any given time. Appointments will be available on the hour from 11am-5pm, and can last up to 30 minutes. Only 10 patrons will be allowed inside the library at any given time.

If you want to reserve your time for a library browsing appointment, please call the library at 507-356-8558 or email us at pipl@selco.info.

We are looking at the possibility of returning to our normal hours in mid-July if everything goes well, so stay tuned here on our website or on our Facebook page for updates.

Please note that any and all of this may change based on public safety concerns or appointment demand. Thank you for your patience!

Events/Programs, Summer Reading Program

Summer Reading Starts Next Week!

Dig Deep with us this summer as we

READ, EXPLORE, and DISCOVER!

Summer Reading sign-up is June 1st- 5th.

We will have in-person sign-up outside on the library lawn (weather permitting) from 10am-2pm Monday-Friday next week. For the safety of our patrons and staff, social distancing will be enforced and masks are strongly encouraged. We will also have an online sign-up form available here on our website and on our Facebook page if you cannot or do not wish to stop by in person.

Programs will begin the week of June 8th

Check out the Summer Reading section of our website for information about the programs we’ll be holding this summer: https://pineisland.lib.mn.us/summer-events/

Make sure to check back here frequently for any changes or additions to our summer line-up.

See you soon!

News

Computers

Thank you all for your patience with library services during this challenging time due to COVID-19. We have been hard at work to develop policies that allow you, our patrons, to access library services. To that end, we are happy to announce that we are able to come in and use our computers! 

Starting Tuesday, May 26 we can allow up to 3 people at a time to come in to use our computers. The following guidelines must be followed:

  1. Use of computers is available by appointment only.You must call (507-356-8558) or email the library to make your appointment at least 30 minutes before you would like to come in. Appointments will be made on a first come, first served basis.
  2. Appointments are available on the hour every hour from 11AM to 5PM and last for a maximum of 45 minutes.If you need more time, you are invited to make another appointment, but will have to exit the library in the meantime.
  3. Door hardware, computer stations and printers will be disinfected after each appointment slot.
  4. Appointments are ONLY to use our public computers.We are unable to allow the public to access our book or DVD shelves safely at this time. We hope to open for browsing appointments in the not-too-distant future, but we do not have a timeline for this yet. 
  5. Please enter the library from the main door upstairs and exit from the youth library door. If you need to use the elevator to gain access, let us know so we can let you in.
  6. Social distancing rules of being at least 6 feet apart will be strictly enforced.
  7. For the safety of our patrons, VHPL staff will wear masks when patrons are present. For the safety of VHPL staff, we strongly encourage that computer users do the same.
  8. Computer help from staff will be severely limited due to social distancing requirements. 

Refusal to follow these guidelines may result in the patron being asked to leave the library. 

We are happy to start offering this service to our community. Please contact the library if you have questions. 

News

Curbside pickup

Curbside pickup starts today! Drive up and pop your trunk, then call the library at 356-8558. We’ll bring your books and movies out to you. You don’t even have to leave your car. If you have library materials to return, please have them in your trunk or drop them off at the returns by our main door.

We look forward to seeing you M-F from 10-6!