Altamont Library Notes for Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Well, we’ve made it to the end of the most challenging, heartbreaking year that many of us have ever faced. As we say goodbye to 2020, despite all the anxiety and sadness this year has brought, I look back with a sense of gratitude and forward with a sense of hope.

This year more than most, I am overflowing with gratitude. I am grateful to the incredible Altamont Free Library staff, who keep the library humming on a day-to-day basis. I am grateful to our trustees, who selflessly volunteer their time, energy, and expertise to set policy for the library and make sure that we have the resources we need.

Above all, I am grateful to our community, which lifts us up in times of need, and keeps us going with its never-flagging support. Thank you all for rolling with the changes that we’ve had to put in place in order to serve you safely and in a way that maintains yours and the staff’s health. Thank you for your kind words. Thank you for letting us serve you every day.

I hope that you all are able to look forward, as I do, to better, healthier, happier times ahead. 

Holiday hours

Please note that Altamont Free Library will be closing at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 31 and closed on Friday, Jan. 1. On behalf of the staff and board, I wish you all a Happy New Year! 

Amazon Smile

Here’s a great, easy, cost-free way to support the library: If you do some of your holiday shopping on Amazon, please consider going to Smile.Amazon.com (instead of just regular old Amazon.com).

Everything on the website will be exactly the same as usual, but you’ll have the opportunity to choose Altamont Free Library as your charity of choice and a portion of your purchase will go to support the Altamont Free Library, even though your gifts won’t cost you a penny more than they normally would! (You can do that all year round, if you like, but we just thought we’d mention it now.) 

Grab & Go

Due to the worsening COVID situation, we are halting in-person browsing and temporarily going back to an all-Grab & Go service model. But that’s OK! Grab & Go is still pretty great! Here’s how it works: 

— Hours of operation for pick-up and drop-off will be 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday;

— Reserve books and DVD’s at http://www.catalog.uhls.org anytime or by calling us at 518- 861-7239;

— When your items are ready, a library staff member will call you with a time you to make an appointment for you to pick them up so that we can be sure to have everything ready for you when you get here and to control the flow of foot traffic in and out of the vestibule;

— Your order will be waiting on a table in the library’s vestibule in a paper bag with your name on it. Please follow the directions you will see posted about “traffic flow” and social distancing;

— At this time, the library building and its restroom will remain closed to the public. Printing, faxing and photocopying services are available by appointment;

— Returns can be dropped off in the marked boxes in the library’s vestibule during business hours or in out outside dropbox when we’re closed;

— Returned items will be quarantined at the library for at least 72 hours before they are able to be checked in and recirculated; and

— Library users must maintain social distance and wear masks while picking up and dropping off library materials. 

If you have any questions, please give us a call at 518-861-7239. See you soon!