Dear Library Patrons,

RESPONSE UPDATE 2 – March 16:

Due to updated federal and state guidelines, all town buildings, including the library, will be closed to the public beginning Monday. Watch our website and FB posts as we update you on services that you can access from home. Delivery of library materials has also been suspended by the state- we will catch you up on more details soon! Stay healthy and stay safe!

RESPONSE UPDATE – March 13: Events Canceled

After discussion with Town Manager Paul Cohen, the library has suspended all library programs and children’s activities and all outside use of the meeting rooms. This suspension will continue through the end of March when we will re-evaluate based on updates about the virus. This is a fluid situation – please check back for updates as the situation evolves.

As you may well have heard, Governor Charlie Baker has declared a state of emergency due to developing concerns surrounding the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19. The Chelmsford Public Library is responding to guidelines recommended by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and our own Board of Health.

We encourage any concerned patrons, especially those in high-risk populations, to stay home if they are feeling ill or are simply concerned about potential exposure. We will continue to offer a wide array of digital resources, including books, audiobooks, music, streaming movies and television, and digital subscriptions to newspapers and magazines at chelmsfordlibrary.org/resources

We are monitoring the situation carefully and will adjust our programming accordingly. Some events may be canceled on short notice at the discretion of either the library or presenters. Please check the library calendar and follow us on social media for updates.

• Our One Book Chelmsford Author Visit with Anne Hood will be postponed until Sunday, September 13 at 2 pm
• Dads and Donuts and Weekday Storytimes are canceled
• The Friday Lecture on Global Sex Trafficking on March 13 has been canceled
• Genealogy Club Interest Group meetings have been canceled
• The Board of Health lecture on the Facts and Dangers of Vaping scheduled for Tues, March 24 has been canceled
• Why We Haven’t Cured Cancer,  scheduled for Weds, March 25, has been canceled
• The Bread Making Workshop scheduled for Thurs, March 26 has been postponed
• The Springfest Plotluck and Putt Putt event scheduled for April 4 and 5 has been postponed

We have put safety measures in place that hopefully will help to stop the spread of viruses in the library and in the community:

• Posted signage about proper hygiene and handwashing procedures
• Hand sanitizer at desks and touchless wall sanitizers around the building

Our custodial staff is applying EPA approved disinfectant every six hours (as recommended by the CDC) to:

• Table tops, chair backs, door knobs, crash bars, bathroom latches and doors, elevator buttons and stair railings
• Service desks, computer keyboards and mice, and phones
• Kitchen spaces, refrigerators, sinks, microwaves, and coffee pots

In the children’s room:

• The toys in the play area are now in storage until further notice.
• Headphones have been disinfected and are now stored behind the desk.
• iPads have been disinfected and will be disinfected after each use.
• Theme-related cloth backpacks with toys and book/media collections have been temporarily removed from circulation.
• Toys/instruments/board books used for programming will be disinfected at the end of each program.

Per recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the library is not currently disinfecting borrowed library books or other media when they are checked in nor as they are browsed or used in the building.

Please ask us if you have any questions and in the meantime, please stay healthy and safe!

Becky Herrmann, Library Director, and the Staff of the Chelmsford Public Library