JANUARY 25, 2021
Message from Director, Julie Milavec:
With the return of Illinois Region 8 to Resurgence Mitigation Tier 2 and the reopening of the village of Downers Grove’s facilities to the public today, I am pleased to announce the anticipated reopening of DGPL to the public on Monday, February 1.
DGPL will reopen for visits of 1 hour per person, per day, entering and exiting through the Forest Street entrance only. Computer appointments of 45 minutes per person, per day will be available and advance reservation strongly encouraged. All visitors, including those who have been vaccinated, must wear a mask over their nose and mouth at all times while in the library. Anyone not wearing a mask properly will be asked to leave the library.
Our popular Curbside Pickup service will remain available, operating through the Curtiss Street entrance, which remains closed to the public with an anticipated opening date of February 15. Discovery and Maker Monday bags will be available in-library only. Curbside service may take a few minutes longer once the library reopens; we thank everyone for their patience. Anyone unable to wear a mask may contact the library for an ADA accommodation. Access to our e-library and other resources remains available from the comfort of home, 24/7. Our friendly staff is available to help through phone calls and email.
The health and safety of our patrons and staff is DGPL's top priority. We continue to make our decisions based on public health information and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and the DuPage County Health Department (DCHD). This announcement is made with the acknowledgement that the library will be prepared to reopen, but the reality of this fast-changing public health situation may impact those plans before they can be enacted, or soon after implementation, as it did in March and November.
Thank you for your patience and support in keeping our community safe.
JANUARY 11, 2021
Message from Director, Julie Milavec:
As 2021 begins, curious community members and staff alike are asking when DGPL will reopen to the public. The simple answer is that no date has been set for reopening. In the meantime, library management and staff members are hard at work preparing for the time when we can open our doors to the public.
Even as we plan for a future reopening, it is important to consider preparedness vs. reality. While the library will be prepared to reopen to the public as soon as health and safety metrics allow, the reality of this fast-changing public health situation may impact those plans before they can be enacted, as it did in March and November.
The health and safety of our patrons and staff is DGPL's top priority. We continue to make our decisions based on public health information and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and the DuPage County Health Department (DCHD).
With the Village of Downers Grove facilities closed to the public and all regions in Illinois currently under Restore Illinois Phase 4, Tier 3 Mitigations, DGPL is preparing to reopen while remaining flexible to respond to the latest information on this public health crisis. When a date is selected, it will be announced on our website and social media. No date has been determined at this time.
Until we are able to welcome you back into the building, the library remains open for our popular curbside service. Patrons can get access to our e-library and other resources at dglibrary.org from the comfort of their home, 24/7. Our friendly staff is available to help through phone calls and email.
Thank you for your patience and support in keeping our community safe.
NOVEMBER 13, 2020
Message from Director, Julie Milavec:
The health and safety of our patrons and staff is DGPL's top priority. We have been following the recommendations provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the DuPage County Health Department (DCHD). As the spread of COVID-19 surges, IDPH is recommending that everyone in Illinois should avoid all non-essential activities over the next three weeks and that residents remain at home "as much as possible" heading into the Thanksgiving holiday.
To help slow the spread of the virus, the library will be closed to the public starting Monday, November 16, 2020 until further notice. This roll back to Phase 2, Curbside Pickup, of the library's reopening plan was not an easy decision to make and will, with everyone's diligence in following IDPH's recommendations, be a brief change.
Curbside Pickup service will be available Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.. DGPL will continue to offer services digitally and by phone. Staff will be available by chat, email, and telephone to answer questions or help you choose items to place on hold for curbside pickup. Virtual programming continues. Discovery Bags and Make and Take crafts will be available for curbside pickup. Book returns are open.
If you need services that are not available virtually or through Curbside, contact us for additional accommodations by chat, email, or telephone.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. We look forward to resuming in-person visits as soon as possible!
JUNE 22, 2020
Effective Monday, June 22, the library will begin to quarantine returned materials for three days. Previously, the library had been quarantining items for seven days. This change in procedure is made in response to the results of the REALM Project's research study of how long the COVID-19 virus lives on library materials; the virus was not detectable on hardback book covers, softback book covers, plain paper pages, plastic book coverings, or DVD cases after three days of quarantine. The change in the quarantine period will help to expedite the Curbside Pickup process and ensure that more materials are available for patrons to enjoy. The health and safety are of the utmost importance to the Downers Grove Public Library, and all decisions on material handling are guided by science and health-driven information.
Learn more about the REALM Project's research here.
JUNE 10, 2020
Message from the Director, Julie Milavec:
The Downers Grove Public Library is working on planning its next steps in its phased reopening.
Starting June 20, the library’s Curbside Pickup service will be extended to include weekend hours: Saturday 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and Sunday 1:00-5:00 p.m.. Monday through Friday, hours of operation remain 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.. We appreciate the community’s patience as we work hard to get through our holds list quickly as we can. The staff is thrilled to be able to get physical materials to you again. We're doing our best to meet the incredible demand while continuing to follow best practices for everyone's health and safety.
The next step in the library's reopening plan is to reopen the building for limited public services during limited hours of operation. It is essential that we get it right to protect community health and continue to follow best practices for each service and space we reopen. Public libraries do not fall under any one set of reopening guidelines, requiring careful consideration of differing recommendations. We are rearranging the physical space of the building to allow for social distancing. We are creating new procedures and training staff. We appreciate all of the community’s support and patience as we prepare this next step in our phased reopening.
In the meantime, Summer Reading Club is underway! Virtual services and Curbside Pickup remain available. If you’re missing our reference desk, virtual chat is now available from 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday and will also extend to include Saturday and Sunday hours on June 20.
I hope to update you soon with the official announcement of the next step in our phased reopening plan. Thank you for your support of the library.
MAY 28, 2020
Message from the Director, Julie Milavec:
As Illinois moves into Phase 3 of the Restore Illinois plan, the Downers Grove Public Library is working on planning its next steps in its phased reopening.
Starting June 1, the library’s Curbside Pickup service will be extended. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., and 3:00 - 7:00 p.m.. Since launching Curbside Pickup on May 20, the library has served approximately 100 cars a day, and processed through over 2,300 holds. We appreciate the community’s patience as we learn our new normal of service for physical materials, and get through our holds list as fast as possible with average wait times lasting about a week. Many staff members have shared how much joy it brings them to see patrons excited for their new materials!
Launching Curbside Pickup has been a huge step forward in the library’s phased reopening plan. Next, the management team will work hard on identifying ways the library can be open for limited hours and services to the public. This next step in the library’s phased reopening plan will take a lot of consideration, planning, and design. How the library approaches its next step will have a large impact on the community’s health. It is essential that we get it right, as we circulate thousands of materials to hundreds of families each week.
Included in our planning discussions will be how we rearrange the physical space of the building to allow for social distancing, which services will be available to the community at the start of our building reopening, and how to continually clean and disinfect high-traffic areas. Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg for what needs to be considered before we reopen the building to the public. We appreciate all of the community’s support and patience as we prepare this next step in our phased reopening.
In the meantime, all of our virtual services and Curbside Pickup remain available and open for patrons to use. A great month of programming is ahead of us, including a book discussion, a virtual teen art show, Summer Reading Club, and more. Our newest database, Universal Class, offers over 700 classes and training for individuals on a wide range of topics, ranging from homeschooling and professional development to hobbies and crafts. If you’re missing our reference desk, the virtual chat hours have been extended, and are now available from 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Our librarians would love to help you find what you need!
I hope to update you soon with news on our next steps in our phased reopening plan. Thank you for your support of the library.
MAY 18, 2020
Message from the Director, Julie Milavec:
The Downers Grove Public Library is starting its Curbside Pickup service on Wednesday, May 20. Initiating Curbside Pickup is the next step in the library’s phased reopening plan.
The health and safety of the Downers Grove Community is at the forefront of our decision making. The implementation of Curbside Pickup has been carefully considered and planned, with great attention to safe material handling, social distancing, and workflow. Phase I of our reopening plan focused on preparing the library building for staff to return to work safely with proper distancing and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Reliable supply lines have been secured, schedules have been spaced to allow for regular disinfecting, and workspaces have been altered and reassigned to allow for our next phase. In addition to preparing our workspaces and PPE, staff have worked hard to process and reshelve books that were left behind when we closed on March 13, prepare hundreds of holds, and create a new system for patrons to get materials.
Curbside Pickup requires a lot of planning and precaution. To ensure that our staff and community stay safe, here are just some of the steps the library is taking:
- All returns are quarantined for a minimum of 7 days (guidelines set by the CDC and IDPH recommend 3 days for disinfection).
- Staff report to work only if they (and family members) are healthy.
- Limited staff members are allowed in the building at the same time.
- Social distancing guidelines are closely followed.
- Staff and patrons have limited contact during Curbside Pickup.
- PPE is provided for staff members. All staff are encouraged to wash their hands frequently.
- Workspaces are regularly cleaned with sanitizer.
Patrons who wish to receive a Curbside Pickup order are encouraged to go onto their accounts and place holds. An email will be sent when items are ready for pickup, and patrons can text or call to let us know when they arrive. Three 15-minute Curbside Pickup parking spots have been reserved on Curtiss Street. Library staff members will place a bag with up to 10 items in your trunk. For everyone’s safety, staff members will not take returns from cars or patrons in a Curbside Pickup transaction. Returns can be put in any of the four Book Returns, located on Forest Ave. and Curtiss St.
For more information on Curbside Pickup, visit dglibrary.org/curbside.
In addition to our new Curbside Pickup service, we continue to offer virtual services, answering your questions via chat and email, online card registration, virtual programs, access to the eLibrary and Research Database, and our Summer Reading Club. The library continues to monitor recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and local health authorities, in addition to the State of Illinois for guidance in our next steps and when we can introduce the next phase in our reopening plan.
Thank you for your continued patience. We look forward to sharing physical materials with you in the next step in our phased reopening plan.
MAY 5, 2020
Message from the Director, Julie Milavec:
The Downers Grove Public Library has begun its phased reopening plan by opening book drops on May 4. We are proceeding with an abundance of caution. The health and safety of the Downers Grove community is at the forefront of our decision making.
Library materials are not like food from restaurants or items purchased from a retailer. They are borrowed, returned to the library, then borrowed again. There is an added layer of precaution and procedure needed. In a typical month, the library circulates thousands of items to hundreds of local households. What we do and how we do it has a huge impact on community health. Implementation of curbside service must be considered carefully, with great attention to staff and patron safety, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), safe material handling, social distancing, and logistics of the physical building in regard to traffic, accessibility, and other factors.
Our next step is preparing the library building for staff to return to work safely, with social distance space and proper PPE. Planning is underway for curbside service to begin when it is safe and when the library is ready. Supplies are being secured and supply chains established. It's difficult to get the PPE we need. We must make sure we have enough on hand and ability to resupply in order to offer curbside service and reopen when we're able. Procedures and staff training are under development. We are working with our catalog consortium SWAN, regional library system RAILS, and other library experts to implement best practices for this service.
We have taken the first step in our phased reopening plan. We continue to offer virtual services, answering your questions via chat and email, online card registration, virtual programs, summer reading club on May 17, checking out the staff picks page, booking an expert for things like tech or genealogy questions, and access to ebooks, streaming movies and music, databases, and learning tools. We look forward to being able to share physical materials again soon. As summer arrives and the threat of local infections diminishes, more library services and public space use will be reintroduced. At each phase, decisions will be made following orders and recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), and local health authorities. I hope to be able to make an announcement within the next few weeks on the next step in the phased reopening plan.
Thank you for your continued patience.
APRIL 24, 2020:
Message from the Director, Julie Milavec:
This has been quite a time for libraries and I am very proud of the work that the Downers Grove Public Library has been doing to continue library service using digital content and virtual reference. As of April 24, the Governor's modified order has not yet been signed or released in full text. When it is, the Illinois library leaders will review the order and will be making a recommendation to libraries as to how this modified order defines curbside service for libraries. There is much to be done by libraries to prepare for curbside service. It will take the library staff a few weeks to get “our house in order”. When we closed on March 13th, we simply closed the doors and sent staff home for safety. We need to reshelve all the books that were left behind. We need to work on staff social distance spaces. We need to work with the SWAN catalog consortium on how the catalog and hold systems can support curbside service.
We cannot take in any materials until library material safety quarantine studies are released. Until we get those guidelines in place, we are asking library users to keep their materials in their homes. We also need to be able to access a regular supply of the necessary PPE for the safety of the staff. In a typical month, we circulate nearly 100,000 physical items to thousands of local residents. What we do and how we do it has a huge impact on community health. There are still many, many unanswered questions and work that needs to be done before we can safely think about physical library material service. We must follow the recommendations of health professionals and experts, and we just don’t have all the information or resources needed yet.
We have a phased reopening plan set to go when we have the information, resources, and guidance to open again. My staff and I are as eager to get back into the building as we know our community is. We continue to offer virtual services and resources and look forward to being able to share physical materials again. I am thrilled that we registered hundreds of new library cards in the last few weeks. We truly are able to be a lifeline to the residents, schools and businesses with virtual services.
I look forward to the day I will be able to make an announcement to the community on how and when the library will begin reopening in the next few weeks.
Thank you for your continued patience.
MARCH 13, 2020:
In consultation with the Village of Downers Grove, Downers Grove School Grade District 58, Community High School District 99, and the Downers Grove Park District, Downers Grove Library canceled all programs and closed the library to the public, starting March 14 until further notice out of an abundance of caution in response to COVID-19 (coronavirus).
The library is currently closed until further notice. We will continue to monitor the situation and reassess as more information becomes available.
Closing the library is an extraordinarily difficult decision that we have made only because of these extraordinary circumstances. The health and safety of our patrons and staff is our first priority. Early actions to increase social distancing are the best way to contain the spread of COVID-19, according to the CDC. We feel that closing the library is the best way to protect the health of our community at this time. While we are closed, we will carry out extra cleaning and disinfecting of the building.
We will stop charging all overdue fines, waive all existing overdue fines, and extend due dates on all currently checked out materials until May 1. Don’t return anything while we are closed. Just stay home and enjoy!
You can also continue to use the library without visiting by downloading eBooks; listening to downloadable and streaming audiobooks; streaming movies and TV shows; streaming music; reading digital comics, newspapers, and magazines; taking online classes; and much more. Browse our website for information about checking out online materials and resources.
Stay connected with us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for more ideas for things to do with your library card, and ways to stay healthy and happy during this complicated time.
Once our facilities reopen, we will do our best to rescheduled missed programs and meeting room bookings. Library staff is working on a detailed plan for refunds for meeting room bookings, which will be communicated to individuals with affected room bookings as soon as possible.
As you know, many of our facilities are community gathering spaces welcoming large numbers of visitors each day. The health and safety of our patrons and staff is of top priority. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this unprecedented time. We look forward to seeing you online and in person again soon.
See DGPL's Closure Press Release
