Washington Heights Library Reopens For Browsing, Computer Use

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — For the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began, the public library in Washington Heights is among dozens across the city that reopened Monday for in-person service.

The library at 1000 St. Nicholas Avenue, near West 160th Street, is again offering browsing and computer use, allowing patrons to peruse the library shelves for the first time since they shut down last spring as the coronavirus swept the city.

You can find out more about the Washington Heights library here.

Included in the libraries reopening on Monday were three locations in Harlem.

• 125th Street Library (224 East 125th St., between Second and Third avenues)
• Harry Belafonte 115th Street Library (203 West 115th St., near Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. Boulevard)
• Countee Cullen Library (104 West 136th St., near Malcolm X Boulevard)

Shelf-browsing will be capped at limited periods of time, and computers can e accessed by appointment, the New York Public Library said in a news release. All patrons must wear masks, maintain social distancing and respect the time limits.

More branches will reopen in the summer, and the city's libraries are hoping to fully reopen "as soon as possible in 2021," according to a news release.

"From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Library has worked to safely offer New Yorkers the resources and services that we know they need. It has been a long, challenging year, and we are eager to restore library service to some semblance of normalcy," said New York Public Library President Anthony W. Marx said in a statement.

"This expansion of service — including computer use, critical for patrons who do not have internet access at home — is a significant and welcome step in that direction."

Patch reporter Nick Garber contributed to this report.