After a brief hiatus because of the risk posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Library of Hattiesburg, Petal and Forrest County will re-open its doors to the public beginning May 4, albeit with limited hours and capacity.
New hours for the library will be from 10 a.m.-noon Mondays for the vulnerable population, including the elderly and individuals with underlying health issues.
The general public will be allowed in from noon-5 p.m. on Mondays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Tuesdays, 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
No more than 50 guests will be allowed in the building at any given time, and each patron over 2 years old must wear a mask.
“I think that our library is a vital part of our community,” director Sean Farrell said. “We have carefully monitored the situation and believe that we can offer public access while still being mindful of public health by following important safeguards.
Face masks will be made available to the public at a cost of $1 as supplies allow.
At this time, the Petal branch of the library will remain closed.
The library also will maintain curbside pickup, allowing members to check out selected titles online and pick them up at their convenience.
Members can use the service by visiting www.bit.ly/curbside. There, participants will find a set of instructions to follow, including emailing lhpfcpickup@gmail.com with their library card number and up to four selected titles per day.
Once the order is filled, library staff will notify participants by email to park in the parking lot – not under the covered dropoff site in front of the library – where an employee will place the books on the hood of the driver’s car.
Because of the library’s reopening, the Honor Checkout System – where patrons can browse books on racks outside the library – will be discontinued.
The library also offers digital titles through its Axis 360 mobile app and other services.
The Lamar County Library System’s board of directors will meet at 1 p.m. April 30 at the Purvis Library to make a decision on when to reopen.
“Of course, that is an open meeting, so the public is always welcome to attend,” assistant director Terry Lajaunie said. “With the governor’s order right now, I don’t know how many public we’ll be able to allow in at a time, but the public is invited.”
In the meantime, the Lamar County Library System is offering digital titles through the Freading and Libby mobile apps.
