Message to the Marblehead Community from the Abbot Public Library – Current and Upcoming Services

As we begin our third month offering curbside pickup service, as a way for patrons to safely borrow books, DVDs and other tangible items from our collections, we have been gratified by your very positive response to this structured individualized service. Most recently, funds generously provided by the Friends of Abbot Library have allowed us to add a new online system, to our curbside service, providing the ease and convenience of scheduling your pickup time, yourself, online. 

Looking ahead, health and safety priorities for both patrons and staff, in the new world of COVID-19, will continue to guide all our decisions regarding the introduction of in-building services. We envision this process as gradual and selective, to include browsing of newly acquired materials, access to computers and printers, and availability of copiers – all by individual appointment. We are eager to open our doors to you and are working hard to prepare our spaces and design procedures to safely offer these services, while continuing our curbside service in a more sheltered setting, as the weather turns cooler.

The date we reopen for in-building services (which will be by appointment only) will depend on the timetable for two major projects being undertaken to protect the health of patrons and staff.

We expect that our building will be ready for initial in-building services in the second half of October. The actual date will be largely dependent upon the timetable for two major projects being undertaken to protect the health of patrons and staff. One project is the fabrication and installation of plexiglass enclosures for all four of our public service areas. The second is the thorough cleaning of the library’s air circulation duct system, which will significantly improve both air flow and air quality. 

To help us in making sure that we use our limited resources to best match our users’ service priorities, we have created a survey for you to give us your input. You will be able to access this survey via the link on our website — www.abbotlibrary.org — as an attachment to the email being sent to all our active Marblehead cardholders, and, in paper format, in our curbside service location at the back entrance to the Library. Please take a few minutes to complete and return our survey. Your valued responses will guide us, as we move forward! 

We sincerely thank you for your patience and support as we reshape our services to meet your needs, in this unprecedented time.

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