social distancing | Abbot Public Library Blog

Abbot Public Library is pleased to announce the expansion of our services to include an additional way for patrons to select and borrow tangible materials. Based on the results of our Library Services Survey, we will be offering limited browsing, by appointment, one day per week, while continuing to provide our very popular Curbside Pickup Service, five days per week.

Our hours for Curbside Pickup and the Browsing By Appointment Services will be as follows, starting the week of April 8th:

Curbside Pickup Service

Monday: 2:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Tuesday: 2:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Wednesday: 10:00 am – Noon & 2:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Friday: 2:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Saturday: 9:30 am – 12:30 pm & 1:30 pm – 4:30 pm

Browsing By Appointment Service

Thursday: 10:00 am – 12:30 pm & 2:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Appointments will be ½ hour long with ½ hour between appointments for sanitizing and cleaning.

Registration for browsing appointments will be open on Thursday, April 1st. The first appointment date will be Thursday, April 8th. Appointments will be a half hour long, and browsers will be required to wear masks (patron-provided) and gloves (library-provided). Browsing will be limited to designated areas where new and recent additions to all categories of the Library’s collections will be gathered.

Appointments will be specific to the department you would like to browse – either Children’s/Teen, or Adult. If you would like to browse multiple areas, you will need to make separate appointments for each space.

To browse the adult sections on the Main Level, please register for an Adult appointment by calling the Main Desk at 781-631-1481, Ext. 201 or 223 or emailing mar@noblenet.org.

To register for an appointment in the Children’s Room AND/OR the Teen Room on the Lower Level, please call the Children’s Room at 781-631-1481, Ext. 217 or 237, or email the Children’s Department at marchild@noblenet.org or the Teen Department at marteen@noblenet.org.

Adhering to social distancing space requirements, we are able to accommodate up to four adults on the main level, and an additional four total patrons – children, teen, or adult – on the lower level in the Children’s Room and/or the Teen Room, per half-hour appointment.

Please watch for further details of our expanded services by following us on Facebook, or by visiting our website or here on our blog.

Thank you for your patience and your continued support, as we navigate through these unprecedented times!

Abbot Public Library currently offers a no-contact curbside pickup service, by appointment only. REVISED Curbside Pickup Hours are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 2:00 pm – 5:30 pm, Wednesday mornings from 10:00 am – Noon, and Saturdays from 9:30 am – Noon & 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm.

Please note that the Curbside Service is constantly being updated to better serve you, so please always read the instructions carefully, both here and on the online registration, to stay current with procedures.

Here’s how the process works:

You will be able to place holds through your online account at evergreen.noblenet.org. If you are having difficulty placing holds online, please contact the library at (781) 631-1481 during Curbside Service Hours (see above) or email us at mar@noblenet.org. If you need to register for a library card, please fill out this online form and a staff member will be in contact with you.
Items that are available in Marblehead will be pulled within 48 hours of their request. Due to delays in interlibrary delivery service, some items will take longer to become available.
When your holds are ready, you will receive a notification, via text, email, or phone call, according to your preference, from the library. To change your notification settings go to Account Preferences > Notification Preferences on your online account.
Once you have received a notice that your items are available, please schedule an appointment to pick up your items.

Appointments can be scheduled on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 2:00 pm – 5:30 pm and Saturdays from 9:30 am – Noon & 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm. We ask that you wait until the library has notified you that your requested items are available before scheduling a pickup appointment.
1. Call the library at (781) 631-1481 during service hours to schedule a pickup time.
2. Register online with our new software, courtesy of the Friends of Abbot Library!
  
  If you receive email notifications, simply click on the registration link in your notice to be brought to our events calendar, or you can visit the library’s website and click on the “Curbside Pick-Up” button.
  
  On the registration calendar, choose the time slot that works best for you and hit “Register.” Please read the instructions carefully (they are subject to change) and fill out the registration form as completely as possible. Once you have submitted the form, you will receive an email confirming your appointment time. Should you need to cancel your appointment, it’s as easy as clicking on the cancellation link in your confirmation email.
Please come to the library at your appointment time, to receive your items. Please wear a mask and follow social distancing protocols during pickup, as a safety measure to benefit all.

Items will be in paper bags labelled with your last name, on a cart by the rear entrance, through the parking lot. Since this is a no-contact service, staff will not be outside. Items will already be checked out to you in advance and have a due date slip, so feel free to grab your bag and go!

Please only return items to a book return, located in front of the library on Pleasant Street, or near the rear entrance by the Maverick Street parking lot.

ABOVE: Library Returns out front
RIGHT: Library Return by rear entrance

We are delighted to be able to offer curbside pickup service, as a way for patrons to borrow tangible items again! Please continue to check our website, Facebook page, or the Abbot Public Library Blog for updates to curbside pickup or returns procedures and hours. We sincerely appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this unprecedented time for library services, and we look forward to serving you!