When the City of San Diego announced on March 14 that it would be closing the Central Library and its 35 branch libraries two days later, library staff hit the ground reading. Also thinking, planning and brainstorming like crazy.
“When you have to close your buildings, to me, it was so devastating, because we were closing off access for so many people who rely on us,” said Misty Jones, director of the San Diego Public Library. “The first thing we wanted to do was to make sure we had some type of engagement with our patrons, and my staff turned around things by the next day. They just embraced it.”
While book-lovers were trying to wrap their shell-shocked heads around the idea of life without their libraries, the “Stay-In-Storytime” Facebook page was quickly filling up up with videos, as librarians read picture books, chapter books and books in Spanish for the shut-ins at home. They formed online book clubs and talked-up the e-Library collection. The Ocean Beach Library even offered free seed packets to get those victory gardens started, a feel-good gesture that also turned out to be an excellent precursor to the bumper crop of creativity that is bearing fruit all these long, library-free months later.
At the end of May, the San Diego Public Library debuted its less pickup service. Patrons with books still on hold from pre-pandemic times were able to pick them up at 11 branches that had been designated as outdoor Pickup Service locations. On June 1, patrons could begin placing new online holds for less pickup. There are now 18 Pickup Service locations, and with 173,734 holds getting picked up between May 26 and Aug. 7, the library is looking to add more.
On July 6, the library re-opened the exterior book drops at more than 30 locations. The drops are currently open on weekdays only. Returned materials are quarantined for 96 hours before they go back into circulation. Book donations are not being accepted yet.
“It is amazing to me how much there is for the library in this community,” Jones said. “They would love for us to be open, but they understand that we can’t, and they are just appreciative that we offer some type of service. People are discovering that yes, we do still have a lot to offer, even if our doors are closed.”
For children and teens, the virtual and in-person offerings have expanded way beyond the still-plentiful and popular FaceTime storytimes.
The library has partnered with the San Diego Unified School District to give away free activity kits at some of the district’s food distribution sites. A partnership with the San Diego Humane Society has resulted in “Critter Crash,” where participants can indulge in a little virtual pet therapy with some of the Humane Society’s furred and feathered friends. There are virtual exhibit tours and themed activities with the San Diego Air and Space Museum; and anime reviews, crafting sessions and book “speed dates” on the library’s new @sdplteens Instagram .
Come October, the Library NExT (Network of Education x Training) will offer virtual workshops on STEAM-related topics for third- through 12th-grade students. The “it One College Prep Academy” will offer free SAT and ACT test preparation and tips for navigating the college process in a live, online format. And homework help will still be available through the resources listed on the “Do Your Homework @ the Library” page.
“People do miss the human connection and the live connection, so we are pivoting again to shift to having more live virtual programming,” said Ady Huertas, supervising librarian of youth and family services. “We want to have more live interaction and more engagement, because our community misses us, and we absolutely miss our community.”
For adults, the library’s virtual offerings are also expanding to fill patrons’ needs for education, entertainment and engagement. And flat-tire help.
There are multiple online book clubs to choose from, with groups devoted to mysteries, classics and Jane Austen. Go to the library’s website (sandiego.gov/public-library), and you will find book recommendations, bike-maintenance and repair videos from the library’s popular Bike Kitchen, lectures from the popular “Opera Insights” series, and archived musical performances from the Central Library’s popular Fall Concert Series.
You can also find “The Literacy of Lived Experience,” a new (and well-timed) collection of videos on mental health and wellness made in connection with the National Alliance on Mental Illness in San Diego. Because even as we make our way through this complicated new chapter of our lived experiences, the library is there for us. Period.
“We like to see ourselves as the center of the community, and that physical part is gone for the moment,” said Joe Miesner, supervising librarian of adult programming, partnerships and special events. “So we thought, ‘What can we do to provide some of the same services and create that sense of community in the online world?’ I think people really miss the interaction, but these programs have helped bridge that gap.”
For more information about the San Diego Public Library’s services and programs, go to sandiego.gov/public-library, or call (619) 236-5800.
