T-burg library opens for limited browsing

Last week, the Ulysses Philomathic Library (UPL) opened for browsing appointments Tuesdays and Fridays from 1 to 5 p.m., allowing patrons to look through stacks in person for the first time since the pandemic began. Previously, the only way to access materials was to request items online or by phone and pick them up in the lobby.

The library closed for about two and a half months last year and reopened with an outdoor pickup system. When the weather got cold, staff moved the pickup spot into the lobby and expanded the hours, which has worked out very well, according to Library Director Ksana Broadwell.

“People have been really great about wearing their masks,” Broadwell said. “Tburg has always been a community of readers, and people wanted their books, so they were very happy with the new system.”

The library staff has taken safety measures very seriously and quarantines all materials for three days before putting them back into circulation. Broadwell noted that the community has been appreciative of the attention to safety and are thrilled with the new browsing option.

“It gets booked out really far,” Broadwell said. “But people are very thankful. I have some people say, ‘Can I take this many?’ And I say ‘Yes, it’s been a year, I’m basically going to let you take as many as you want!’”

Broadwell said that the Board of Trustees is currently receiving bids for work on a malfunctioning HVAC system and is hopeful that construction will wrap up in the summer. She said they will then happily welcome the community back for unscheduled browsing.

UPL is not a public library and therefore relies on donations and volunteers to stay financially viable. Broadwell said that this has been challenging, but they’ve found ways to host fundraisers.

The library runs a weeklong book sale every year in the community meeting room, with items neatly sorted and priced. In the fall of 2020, they held an adapted version in the parking lot under a tent and plan to do it again this year May 13 through 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“Everything goes out onto the tables, unsorted, straight from the shed,” Broadwell said of the sale. “Then, we just put a donation jar out and ask people to give what they can. Last fall, people were so excited to come to the sale, it worked perfectly. Everyone was great about sanitizing and distancing because everyone had been in their houses for a year and had read all their books.”

The organization only made half the amount of money it usually does, but Broadwell said the Board’s goal for the event was less about fundraising and more about having a safe community event and getting books out into the public.

Broadwell said she believes that having access to reading materials allows people to take better care of themselves and is vital to keeping up mental health for many right now.

“When we’re all collectively going through a thing like a pandemic, things that don’t seem essential (like books to read and movies to watch) are so helpful and so comforting, especially to people who may be having some of the hardest times of their lives,” Broadwell said.

As soon as the library reopened, it was inundated with calls from people needing printing, copying and fax services, as well as parents searching for answers about virtual learning. This prompted librarian Clay Chiment to create a place on the website for quarantine resources such as “How to File for Unemployment” and homeschool resources including reading lists for different curriculums.

Broadwell said she’s learned a lot this year, most obviously, the skill of adapting.

“Don’t get too attached to any solution,” Broadwell said. “I go through four or five versions of a plan until we hit one that works for every changing demand of a situation. It’s been constantly reviewing and updating and disregarding what doesn’t work. Safety and function, that’s the only two things I’ve been focused on the past year.”

The library has managed to create learning and entertainment opportunities for the community, even while the building has been closed to the public. It hosted two virtual “Local Author Nights” over Zoom, ran a digital story hour twice a month, successfully moved its Dungeons and Dragons club online and recently began delivering books to residents’ doorsteps at Juniper Manor I and II weekly.

One of the most successful programs during the pandemic has been “Science at Home” for kids. Each month has a different theme — May is botany — and each week, the library posts directions for an easy at-home science experiment. The library also provides free packets with experiment supplies available for pickup at the library, which Broadwell said get taken every week.

UPL also has free programs planned for later this year, including an outdoor summer reading program in collaboration with the Cayuga Nature Center and an online magic show with “Great and Powerful Dave.” It also has three Empire Passes available for week-long loans again this year.

For more information on UPL, visit trumansburglibrary.org/UPL/. For the book sale, cash, check, credit card and PayPal are accepted, and shoppers are encouraged to bring their own bags. There will also be a silent auction at the sale.