Friday, April 2, 2021

Altadena Libraries to Begin Phased Reopening Next Week

New partnership with local businesses announced

Altadena Libraries plans to begin a phased reopening of its facilities Monday, while also kicking off a new program to allow members to get discounts at local businesses with their library cards, representatives said.

The reopening coincides with National Library Week, April 4-10.

Following a closure prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic, library facilities will reopen with limited capacity and services, primarily geared toward providing members with computer and internet access, Altadena Libraries said in a written statement.

“The Bob Lucas Memorial Library and the Community Room at the Main Library will be open for limited hours to help meet needs for computer access and bring back the joy of browsing,” according to the statement. “While the main floor at the Main Library on Mariposa Street will still be closed to the public, the Community Room has been laid out to allow for socially distanced services.”

More information on services and hours at each branch can be found online at altadenalibrary.org/reopening.

At the same time, Altadena Libraries will also be launching its “Read Local, Shop Local” program, which “provides exclusive offers and discounts to customers that present their Altadena Library cards at checkout at participating area businesses,” the statement said.

Businesses already participating in the program include A Noise Within Theatre, Altadena Ale House, Café de Leche, El Patron, Hoopla! An Emporium of Good Things, Little Red Hen Café, Photography by Walt, and Tacos Casa.

More information, including a complete list of participating businesses, can be found online at altadenalibrary.org/shoplocal.

The pandemic has had a lasting impact on the library, Director Nikki Winslow said.

“COVID-19 has given our staff, volunteers, and community the crucial opportunity to expand our

vision of library service,” she said. “While we are pleased to expand services to open our doors at a limited capacity, we also are thrilled to implement new ways of connecting our community with local resources through our outreach and partnership efforts.”

“We want to turn the lessons we learned about our team’s innovation and creativity during

COVID-19 into sustainable, newly imagined ways of providing library services beyond our buildings’ walls,” Winslow added.

Adaptation has always been, and will continue to be, central to the mission of public libraries, Assistant Director Viktor Sjöberg said

“The future of the modern library is dependent on its human connections in the community,” he said. “Books go in and out of print, technology evolves, and we all continue to access information in new ways… The one constant in our work in libraries is our connection to community, and we are in commitment to learning in conversation with our community and developing innovative ways for our libraries to meet their ever-evolving needs.”

In addition to books, “the benefits of having an Altadena Library card now include access to laptops, hotspots, telescopes, sewing machines, and virtual reality equipment of the District’s Library of Things and more,” the statement said.

Those interested in obtaining a card can visit one of the branches in person, or access https://tinyurl.com/ALDcardsignup.