Reopening September 8
The Van Horn Public Library is pleased to announce that we will be returning to our regular hours and offering regular library services beginning on Tuesday, September 8, 2020. While patrons will not be required to have appointments to come in and use the library, the following changes are being made to keep both patrons and staff safe and healthy:
- 10 patrons will be allowed in the library at any given time. Please come to the main door upstairs to be enter the building. While the door is locked, ring our new doorbell to talk to library staff and be let in. Please note that you may be asked to wait before entering if we are at capacity. If you have mobility issues, please call ahead and we will open the elevator door for you.
- Children under 12 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
- Library phones are no longer able to be used by patrons.
- Social distancing and masks that cover the nose and mouth are required.
Library staff will be sanitizing high traffic areas every hour. Curbside service is also available if you do not want to enter the library.
We ask that anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, or people living with someone with symptoms, remain at home and do not come to the library.
Hours of operation starting 9/8/20
Monday and Friday: 12:00 – 6:00 pm
Tuesday and Thursday: 12:00 – 8:00 pm
Wednesday: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Please note – Due to the ever changing nature of the pandemic, these new procedures may change without notice. Please check our website and Facebook page for the most recent information on our hours and services.
Masks required
Due to the Governor’s Executive Order 20-81, masks/face coverings are required for everyone entering the library. We have disposable masks available if you forget yours at home!
Thank you for helping keep everyone in our community safe & healthy!
New Upcoming Summer Reading Event!
Join us for this virtual event as we host professional storyteller Katie Knutson! Katie has performed in Pine Island previously for Summer Reading 2014 and for Winterfest in 2015, and is excited to perform for us again — virtually this time!
To join us, click on the link below to open up the Zoom meeting. The password, should you need it, is: Storytime
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87834480053?pwd=bzFhYk96SEpmZUhyVXdxUUR3TEtBUT09
If you are interested in joining but do not have internet access or the ability to view it on your device, please contact the library at 356-8558 for information on how we can accommodate you.
See you there!
Magazines online
The following magazines are now available through Libby or on your Overdrive app:
- Cosmopolitan
- Car and Driver
- The Economist
- Food Network
- Good Housekeeping
- HGTV
- Men’s Health
- O The Oprah Magazine
- Wired
- Women’s Health
Look for Libby in your computer or mobile device’s app store to access these magazines with your VHPL card!
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!
Closed Friday
Open for appointments
Are 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!
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!
Story Time Cancelled
Today’s story time is cancelled due to the rain and wet. We look forward to reading with you next week at 10am on the library lawn.
