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St. Mary’s County library trustees reopen branches with limits, quarantine rules and PPE provided by county
Summary
The St. Mary’s County Board of Library Trustees voted to adopt new staff guidance and described steps for reopening branches: limited hours and visitor caps, a four-day quarantine for some returned items, continued payroll withholding pending legal clarity, and county-supplied personal protective equipment.
The St. Mary’s County Board of Library Trustees approved new staff guidelines for providing technology assistance and described multiple safety measures as the system reopens to in-person visits during the COVID-19 pandemic. The board also said the county supplied personal protective equipment to allow the branches to open.
Library President Jim Hanley said branches are open with limited hours and visitor caps to allow distancing: Monday–Thursday 1–6 p.m. and Friday–Saturday noon–5 p.m., with Charlotte Hall limited to about 10–12 visitors, Lexington Park about 20–24 visitors and Leonardtown about 20–24 visitors. Visits are currently limited to one hour per person.
The library will continue quarantining returned materials: staff quarantine items that can retain virus traces, such as magazines and board books, for four days before handling. Michael Dunn, president of the library foundation and statewide SimplyE coordinator, explained the quarantine policy and why the system will continue it even though it slows holds fulfillment: “We quarantine it separately, and do not allow those materials to be handled for 4 days.”
County emergency services provided masks and gloves to library staff, enabling the system to reopen, Hanley said. On PPE the board received from the county, Hanley said, “Without them, we could not have opened.”
On employee health, staff reported eight possible COVID-19 symptoms so far; all tests have returned negative, the board was told. The trustees said they are asking symptomatic employees to quarantine even when tests are negative. Trustees cautioned that a confirmed staff positive would likely force at least a 14-day closure of an affected building because staffing levels are not large enough to sustain operations during a quarantine.
Board members discussed mask guidance for visitors. The library asks patrons to wear masks; staff advised against gaiters and bandanas after citing a Duke University study. Hanley said the circuit court has mandated masks in courtrooms on the recommendation of the county health officer, and urged patrons to follow similar precautions at libraries.
The trustees also reviewed cleaning and distancing procedures: the county will deep-clean surfaces on schedule, staff will limit shared staff-room use, and self-check stations and high-touch surfaces will be cleaned frequently. The board signaled it will evaluate in-person hours after observing patron behavior and staff capacity.
Ending: The board adopted the public-facing staff guidance for in-library instruction and contactless assistance and will monitor public-health data; members said they will revisit hours and meeting-room policies as conditions evolve.
