BERLIN – As recovery plans continue, the Worcester County Library will reopen its Ocean City branch for appointments starting next week.
On Monday, Sept. 14, the library system will reopen its fifth and final branch to patrons by appointment only.
In late July, the Worcester County Library began the “Library by Appointment” phase of its reopening plan.
As the name suggests, the phase allows the library to reintroduce several services to the public by appointment only. Services include computer use – in 45-minute sessions – copier access and library card registration.
At the outset, appointments were limited to the Ocean Pines and Pocomoke branches. In the days that followed, officials added Berlin and Snow Hill to the list.
“Two of our branches opened at the end of July, Ocean Pines and Pocomoke,” Library Director Jennifer Ranck told board members at a virtual meeting held Tuesday. “Things went well, so we opened two more branches, Berlin and Snow Hill.”
Starting Monday, she said, the Ocean City branch would be included.
Currently, “Library by Appointment” is available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at all branches and 9:30-11:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Berlin, Ocean Pines and Pocomoke branches.
Patrons can call and make appointments to use a computer, have photocopies made or register for library cards. Appointments are limited to one per person per week.
“All of our customers have been terrific with following the rules …,” Ranck said. “The nice thing about making appointments is we can talk to the customer before they come in and explain those procedures and rules.”
As part of the “Library by Appointment” phase, all staff and patrons will be required to wear face coverings and practice social distancing, and all surfaces will be sanitized after each use.
Library patrons will not be able to browse book collections or newspapers, or have access to one-on-one computer help or meeting rooms. However, virtual programs will continue.
The library will also continue to offer Printing To-Go and Library To-Go, a contactless pickup service for books and materials.
“We have definitely heard that people miss coming in to browse the stacks …,” Ranck said. “We’re not allowing that right now.”
Ranck noted that the Worcester County Library is one of the few library systems in Maryland currently open to patrons. She said it was the library’s goal to reopen its branches for appointments by the start of the academic year.
“We are sort of ahead of the game,” she said. “We wanted to be at this point before school starts.”
