Pierce County libraries begin to reopen some services after COVID-19 closures

Libraries in Pierce County are opening additional services, 108 days after having to close due to the coronavirus.

As of June 30, library patrons can return books at the book drops at 19 out of 20 of Pierce County’s libraries. The Anderson Island branch will begin accepting returned books on July 13.

The opening of the additional book drops comes after Pierce County libraries turned on Wi-Fi for public use in surrounding parking lots and eight libraries opened their books drops on June 15.

The library system is continuing to finalize plans for gradually reopening, following Phase 2 of the governor’s Safe Start reopening plan, said Mary Getchell, library system spokeswoman. While some details are being determined, residents can expect some libraries to open for curbside pickup of books, magazines, movies and other paper materials starting in mid-July, Getchell said.

No overdue fines will be charged through 2020.

Also in mid-July, some libraries will allow patrons to print remotely from their personal devices and pick up printed copies for free, with a limited amount for each customer.

Getchell said patrons should not sanitize their books when either picking them up or returning them, as the library will be taking precautions in line with CDC guidelines when working with returned materials.

“In our meeting rooms we’ve set up quarantine areas (for books),” she said. “We have a system where the items come back to the library and sit for 72 hours before being processed and put back.”

The library system has made a virtual library and online classes and story times in English and Spanish available to the public.

Thousands of residents have signed up for library cards since the library closed in March, and E-Book checkouts in the month of April were up about 33% compared to numbers from 2019, with 144,595 titles checked out.