Contra Costa Libraries Reopen: Spring Is A Time For New Beginning

LAFAYETTE, CA — Local branches of the Contra Costa County libraries had fully reopened to the public as of Tuesday morning, more than a year after libraries across the state shuttered in attempt to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The library at 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette opened this week as did the branch at 26 Orinda Way in Orinda. The location at 1500 St. Mary's Rd. in Moraga is deemed a "Grab and Go" location and will have limited access, according to the library. All but a few Contra Costa County Library system locations reopened this week for limited access, dubbed "Grab & Go" service.

"Spring is a time for new beginnings," said County Librarian Alison McKee in a statement.

Patrons are asked to limit visits to an hour, but they may browse the selection, use computers, print and make copies, get help from the reference desk or pick up books on hold, according to the county.

Services that will not be available include chairs and tables for reading and studying, meeting rooms and in-person events. At this time, book donations are not being accepted, and newspapers are only available online.

Visitors over the age of 2 will be asked to wear a face covering or mask that covers both the mouth and nose. Hand sanitizer will be available at the entrances, cleaning wipes will be offered to visitors to sanitize surfaces and seating will be limited to select computers to encourage social distancing. Toys and other high-touch play items have been removed.

Visitors wishing to reserve computer time can call their community library starting Monday.
Other safety enhancements include Plexiglass barriers at service desks, increased air intake to HVAC systems and enhanced cleaning of doorknobs, door push bars and elevator buttons.

“I am very excited that as we are beginning to see the light at the end of a very long tunnel, we are able to plan to transition to safely reopening our beloved libraries,” said Diane Burgis, chair of the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors, in a statement. “While we aren’t able to return to the way that we were before the pandemic began, we can begin to create a new normal experience for library users.”

— Patch editor Courtney Teague and Bay City News contributed to this report