Bookworms young and old happy to be back among the stacks as libraries re-open
A mother and her two children spent quite some time on the self-checkout station at the Gig Harbor Library on Friday. They had a tall stack of books and DVDs, totaling to almost 40 items.
“They’re at the age now where they are going through them really quick,” said Danielle Burk, a Gig Harbor resident.
Burk said her children started participating in the library’s summer reading program not so long ago. Her son likes to read books about science, cars and trucks while her daughter indulges in books about princesses and animals.
The Burks have been visiting the library at least once a week since it fully reopened its doors to the public earlier this month, she said. Before then, they would use the curbside services the library has been providing since last year.
“Bringing them back in … has been awesome,” Burk said.
The library has not stopped serving its community even after the COVID-19 pandemic led to a statewide shutdown, said DL Womble, branch manager of the Pierce County Library system’s Gig Harbor branch. Curbside services came into play a few months after March 2020.
Grab bags still offered
Even if the library is now “fully operational,” Womble said curbside services will still be offered. The library will also continue to provide are grab bags, which is when patrons receive a bag filled with suggested books hand-picked by librarians.
“Our homeschooling families have really appreciated that,” Womble said. “They were so grateful for the grab bags because those selections had pointed the children and the whole family in all different directions.”
Grab bags were also beneficial for patrons who enjoy the feeling of walking and browsing for books, said Kati Perez, supervising librarian of the Gig Harbor Library. In a way, grab bags help recreate that feeling, she said.
“It was great for library workers because we get to say ‘Oh, I can’t wait to share this author with you,’” Womble said. “We’re always excited about our favorite authors and our favorite genres and introducing them with readers.”
The library has three public computers, 10 laptops and one self-checkout station onsite. Womble said they are looking to get about 21 more public computers and four more self-checkout stations.
Thrilled to be back
During the shutdown, most of the events the library would typically host in person had to move online, Womble said, including storytime sessions for children, virtual game nights for teens and trivia nights for adults.
“Libraries have been working hard even though that’s not visible,” Womble said. “Every person who walks in is just thrilled to be back in the library.”
Perez said 2020 was a stressful yet gratifying time for library workers. Although they had to adapt to unprecedented times, there was a real desire for them to figure out how to continue serving their community, she said.
If there is one word that can describe what the first few days of August felt like to Perez, it would be: “wonderful.”
“For a lot of us, the one-on-one interaction with people is part of why we do this job,” Perez said.
The Gig Harbor Library is open seven days a week. They are open: 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. More information can be found on the library website. The library is at 4424 Point Fosdick Dr,
In Lakebay, the Key Peninsula Library is open six days a week, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and noon to 7 p.m. on Mondays. The library is at 8905 Key Peninsula Hwy NW.
Angela Relente is an intern reporter for The News Tribune.
This story was originally published August 17, 2021 at 5:30 AM.
