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McAllen Public Library: Our Approach to COVID-19: What steps has McAllen Public Library taken to deal with COVID-19?

A LibGuide outlining steps that McAllen Public Library has taken to deal with COVID-19

Keeping our staff and patrons safe

Quarantine of books and other library items

  • The Northeastern Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) recommends 72 hours of collection item resting period to ensure safety.
  • Click here to access the NEDCC website
  • A study published as correspondence in the New England Journal of Medicine on March 17, 2020 shows that COVID-19 will remain on cardboard surfaces for 24 hours and on plastic surfaces for 72 hours. With this in mind, McAllen Public Library established a 4 day collection item quarantine to ensure patron and staff safety. Click here to access the study. 

Staff and patron safety

  • Staff are required to wear masks when interacting with the public and among themselves when they are inside the building.
  • Furthermore, hand sanitizer stations are strategically placed in various locations throughout the building.
  • Patrons are required to wear masks and encouraged to use the provided hand sanitizer upon entering the building.
  • In addition, assigned library staff conduct daily temperature and symptom screenings any time staff enter the building.
  • Staff are also required to disinfect any touch points and surfaces throughout the day.
  • Plexiglass sneeze guards have been placed at our service desks in order to protect our staff and our patrons. Furthermore, social distancing is enforced by separating seats at least 6ft, following CDC guidelines. Staff is diligently ensuring that patrons and other staff follow these guidelines.
  • For more information, click here to access the CDC guidelines.

For more resources, you may visit the following page: ALA: Handling Library Materials and Collections During a Pandemic

Starting on March 14, 2020, the McAllen Public Library staff has been following these steps:

  1. Ensure the staff are wiping frequent touch points every night: doors' handles, table tops, restroom stall handles and locks.
  2. Placed CDC handwashing posters in English and Spanish in all public and staff areas.
  3. Staff should wipe service desk counter tops, staff keyboards, and staff phones with Lysol wipes at the start and midpoint of shifts.
  4. Staff are required to observe CDC handwashing hygiene practices and respiratory etiquette when coughing or sneezing. Handwashing remains the best way to avoid getting sick.
  5. Learning manipulatives have been removed from the Family Place play spaces at Main and Lark.

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