The Port Washington Public Library will be closed until further notice due to concerns over the coronavirus, according to a letter from the facility’s director.
In an email to the surrounding community April 1, Library Director Keith Klang said the action would be “necessary.”
“Seeing the doors of our Library closed at this time is difficult, but it is absolutely necessary to keep our community safe,” Klang wrote.
The library’s online services will continue to operate, Klang added, with ebooks, audiobooks, and learning courses from Lynda.com and Tutor.com among those available.
“I believe there is no better feeling in the world than browsing our bookshelves and finding that perfect story to take home,” Klang wrote. “While that physical experience is temporarily unavailable, the next best option is to visit pwpl.org and browse, download the Libby (Overdrive), Hoopla, and RBDigital apps, and enjoy all the online content PWPL has to offer. I think you’ll be amazed at what you’ll find.”
In addition to the online programs, the library has postponed votes for its budget and trustees, with a new date to be announced later. It has extended the due date for all items currently checked out until the library’s reopening, with a request to not return any checked-out materials at this time. The library has also placed an automatic renewal on library cards set to expire through July 1 and has set up a website for users to acquire a digital library card if necessary at pwpl.org/get-a-library-card.
Klang added that library staff would be available by phone and email, and urged patrons to stay safe.
“While we cannot see you during the next few weeks, know that we are thinking of you, and wishing you and your families good health and safety,” he wrote.
