By Beacon Staff
The Burlington Public Library never really closed.
In response to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, most businesses have temporarily closed their doors to public access, including the library. However, that doesn't mean the services provided by the library have been shuttered as well.
“Before we closed the doors, we asked the public, ‘What can we do for you?’ ” said Samantha Helmick, public services librarian.
The answer was a little bit of everything so the library adjusted accordingly. The budget has been shifted toward more digital books, given physical copies can’t be checked out right now. Ancestry tracking tools formerly only available within the library are now available online.
And coming soon, Helmick said, the library will offer a way to access the building’s massive newspaper archive online.
“We’ve also upped our free music and movie streaming,” Helmick said.
Most only think of services like Netflix when streaming movies and TV shows, but there are also several free services interrupted by ads.
But as many library regulars will attest, checking out books and other resources is just one function of the library. Children's storytime has continued online, as have classes and meetings.
In a self-isolating world where even the most media averse citizens are looking for ways to pass the time in isolation, libraries are becoming a digital oasis in the sea of boredom.
Unlike most other services, the library is completely free. Thanks to the new online library card service, locals can immediately get access by filling out a form online. Anyone living in Burlington, West Burlington, Middletown, or rural Des Moines County is eligible to get a Burlington library card, and more than 70 people have taken advantage so far.
Before closing, an average day at the library saw 577 people come through the doors, three classes being held, and 18 meeting room reservations.
The best thing about the library, other than it being free, is the unprecedented privacy in a digital world dominated by advertising.
“We are one of the few places left where they (advertisers) can’t track your data,” Helmick said. “I hope there is a renaissance in the library.”
Helmick, along with library director Rhonda Frevert, has become one of the faces of the library over the past decade. She uses the library resources far more than most patrons, and online access has been a godsend for her as she works from home.
Helmick may be a semi-public figure, but like everyone else, she’s struggling internally while projecting positivity externally. She misses her friends. She misses her community. She talks with them nearly every day, though the intimacy of personal space is no longer allowed.
It’s the uncertainty that bothers Helmick the most. Not knowing when things will return to normal, or if they ever will. She’s eternally grateful to all the regular library patrons for their personal messages of thanks and support.
“I’ve been overwhelmed my entire life by the support from our community,” she said.
Checking Out Books
The Digital Burlington Public Library can be found at www.burlington.lib.ia.us.
Use the Click.Learn.Play tab to find links to download ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines, to stream music and movies, to research local and family history, to learn a new language, to repair your car, and much more. You even can get one-on-one online tutoring.
You can also surf the Internet from the Burlington Public Library’s parking lot using Wi-Fi. The password is posted on the building.
Virtual Classes
The Wiggle Time classes for kids are being held online, with up to 150 people watching live.
The library also offers Zoom classes. These require participants to be able to download an app and work best if everyone has audio and video options. A smartphone can work. The staff members presenting the class can even interact with the participants.
The library’s Babygarten program is using the Zoom format as well, as well as a short Yoga class with a literary bent on Facebook every Monday morning.
Zoom classes are being held in partnership with local teachers and are also being used for the TICOS teen group and a teen book club. Helmick has kept the monthly Beyond the Book Club going with a virtual meeting, and Louis Blythe converted her Straw Bale gardening class to offer it online. The library’s Kindness Club has launched on Facebook as well.
A Live, Online Library Schedule
• Monday: Wiggle Time on Zoom is at 10 a.m.; Facebook Yoga is at noon.
• Wednesday: 4 p.m. is Wiggle Time Facebook Live is 4 p.m.; Babygarten on Zoom is at 5:30 p.m.
• Thursday: 10 a.m. – Babygarten on Zoom is at 10 a.m.; Storytime on Facebook Live is at 4 p.m.
You can contact the library with questions or for technical support, schedule a virtual one-on-one session, or ask for digital materials suggestions. Call the library at (319) 753-1647 (messages are checked regularly), email them at iowabpl@gmail.com, or message the library on social media.
“We are here for you,” Helmick said.
Photo of Sam Helmick by Joy Mack