BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The Bloomfield Public Library hasn’t been open for more than a month. Physically, that is.
After being forced to close the library due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the staff swiveled from scheduling in-person programs and checking out books to scheduling online programs and checking out e-books. The BPL has been operating as much as possible, making online resources a priority while residents are stuck at home.
“We want to help keep them informed,” library Director Holly Belli said in a phone interview with the Independent Press on April 16. “Our reference staff is helping with small business loans, and we’re looking into seeing how to have online gaming for teens, because they haven’t been able to connect like they normally would.”
The librarians at the BPL are available to live chat on the library website, and weekly children’s story hour is being livestreamed on Facebook. Township officials, including Councilman Ted Gamble and BOE member Michael Heller, have assisted head of Children’s Services Cheryl Locastro by being guest readers, as have officers from the Bloomfield Police Department. The library staff is also working on moving book club meetings to social media, and have been helping residents complete the 2020 census.
E-books, audiobooks and digital magazines are available to anyone with an internet connection and a library card on www.bplnj.org, through OverDrive and the Bergen County Cooperative Library System or the Libby app. If residents don’t have a library card, they don’t have to worry. Librarians can help them register for one.
“You can get a digital card now, and that will work until this is over and you can get the regular card,” Lisa Hoffman, the supervising librarian of adult services, said in a phone interview with the Independent Press on April 16. “We’re trying to make sure people have access, and they’re relying on it more than they normally would.”
In addition to helping residents find reading material, the librarians have been assisting people with applying for unemployment benefits and reaching mental health services.
“I’m astounded at all they’ve been able to do even as we’ve been stuck at home,” she said.
It isn’t clear when the library will be able to open again, but when it does Belli knows it won’t go back to normal right away.
“I suspect we’ll start off with limited access and slowly open the library back up,” she said. “I would be surprised if there was programming this summer. At this point we’re planning as much as we can. We’re going to be making craft packets for families to pick up to keep kids engaged, because that’s important.”
Even though a global pandemic that shut down normal life certainly wasn’t what anyone was looking for this year, Hoffman said some of the new online strategies the BPL has put in place during the lockdown can be applied to the library building when it opens again.
“It’s a learning experience, and we’re trying to carry this forward,” she said. “Over time libraries have been changing anyway, so we’d like to carry that forward. It’s like an accidental trial period.”
Belli agreed.
“It shows us how much we can actually do online,” she said. “Live chat is something we can continue all the time. We’ve been doling out those care numbers. I think once those new patrons see ‘Hey, this is great!’ they’ll start to use the library in new ways. That’s great for us. We’re still here to help. We feel we’re essential, and we’re happy to hear suggestions.”
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