Virtual Summer Reading 2020 – Readsquared

Celebrate summer with Putnam County Library System’s community-wide Summer Reading Program. This year’s theme is Imagine your Story.

PCL Phased Re-Opening Plan- Current Phase: 3

Phase 1:

• Curbside Service
• Computer use by appointment
• No entry inside the building for any reason except a scheduled computer appointment.

Phase 2:

• Patrons can now enter the library. We encourage only one family member at a time to enter the library. Due to the quarantining of materials, patrons will still not be allowed in reading areas or to browse shelves. Patrons can browse the catalog on site through our catalog computer or public access computers. All requested materials will be pulled from theshelves by the librarians.
• Due to safety concerns the children’s library will still be off limits at this time.
• Still offering curbside service to those who request it.
• No more appointments for computers. Computers will be first come first serve and will be distanced properly. One hour/once per day time limit still applies.
• Meeting rooms and study rooms are still closed.
• Hours will remain abbreviated.

Phase 3:

• Curbside Checkout will still be available to those that request it.
• Patrons are now allowed to browse shelves.
  • We are still encouraging only one family member to come in at a time.
• Beginning September 23rd: The Children’s library will be accessible by appointment only.
  • Walk-in appointments will be available if current appointment times are available at time of walk-in.
  • No more than 6 people will be allowed into the children’s library at one time.
• Meeting rooms will now be open to groups of 10 or less.
  • Study rooms will still be closed.
  • Library programs will still be suspended. Virtual content will still be produced as much as possible. A special consideration may be enacted for story time and Summer Reading Program, if it can be done safely.
• Computer access will remain the same as Phase II.
• Materials will still be quarantined.
  • Late fines will not be assessed to returned materials.
• The library will resume charging for copies, prints, and faxes. We will also be resuming payments on lost or damaged materials.
• Algood, Baxter, and Monterey Branches will move back to normal hours, unless staffing restrictions limit hours. Cookeville Branch hours will be 10am-6pm Monday through Friday. Branch services may vary due to limitations, we recommend contacting your local branch first to ensure greatest quality of service.

During this phase, signage and markers will still be in place to maintain social distancing measures. Staff will still be required to wear masks.

Phase 4:

• Curbside Checkout will still be available to those that request it. Due to staffing, curbside checkout will only be available between the hours of 10am and 2pm Monday through Friday.
• Patrons are now allowed to enter reading areas.
  • Reading areas will be spaced out according to proper social distancing measures and sanitized regularly and visibly.
  • We are still encouraging only one family member to come in at a time.
• Meeting rooms still open to groups of 10 or less.
  • Study rooms will still be closed.
  • Library programs will still be suspended. Virtual content will still be produced as much as possible. A special consideration may be enacted for story time and Summer Reading Program, if it can be done safely.
• Computer access will remain the same as Phase II and III.

• Materials will no longer be quarantined.
  • Late fines will now be assessed to returned materials.
• Algood, Baxter, and Monterey Branches will continue normal hours, unless staffing restrictions limit hours. Cookeville Branch hours will be 10am-6pm Monday through Friday and 10am-5pm Saturday.

During this phase, signage and markers will still be in place to maintain social distancing measures. Staff will still be required to wear masks.

Phase 5 – Enacting this phase should be based on federal, state, and local government guidelines but will ultimately be a decision of the Library Board of Trustees.

• Complete re-open of the library back to normal pre-COVID 19 procedures.

To view the full detailed plan, visit our website.

Curbside Checkout available now

Beginning on Friday April 17^th and until the library reopens, the Putnam County Library will be offering Curbside Checkout to its patrons who are in need of materials.

Combat boredom with these online resources for adults

Art Collections and Museums

• Art Institute of Chicago – 44,000+ Images – https://www.artic.edu/collection
• Blarney Castle – Virtual Tour- https://www.virtualvisittours.com/blarney-castle/
• British Museum of London- https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection
• Louvre Museum, Paris- https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne
• Acropolis Museum, Athens- https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/acropolis-museum?hl=en
• History Connected https://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com/
• Museum of Modern Art – https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/moma-the-museum-of-modern-art
• Metropolitan Museum- Series of You Tube videos- https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features/met-360-project/11-dramatic-virtual-tours-of-stages-around-the-world/1gJiszMqltReJA
• Dali Museum- https://thedali.org/virtual-tour/
• Picasso Museum- http://www.bcn.cat/museupicasso/en/museum/presentation.html
• 3,434 museum views from around the world- https://artsandculture.google.com/search/streetview?project=streetviews
• Smithsonian
  •  National Museum of Natural History https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour/current-exhibits
  • National Portrait Gallery-
    • Eye to I Exhibit https://npg.si.edu/exhibition/eye-i-self-portraits
    • First Ladies- https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/first-ladies/OAJS1lr5txbLJQ

Aquariums and Zoos

• Monterey Bay Aquarium- https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/animals/live-cams
• National Aquarium- https://www.aqua.org/Experience/live
• Cincinnati Zoo- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEKhSO4WiX0&feature=emb_logo
• Explore.org Live Nature Cams- https://explore.org/livecams
• Houston Zoo- https://www.houstonzoo.org/explore/webcams/
• San Diego Zoo – https://zoo.sandiegozoo.org/
• Smithsonian National Zoo- https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/panda-cam
• Wildearth, South Africa- Live streaming safaris- https://www.twitch.tv/wildearth

Coloring Pages and Books for Adults

• Color our Collections- Art from over 100 Museums http://library.nyam.org/colorourcollections/

Free College Courses Online

• Carnegie Melon Open Learning- https://oli.cmu.edu/students/
• Coursera- https://www.coursera.org/
• EDX- https://www.edx.org/
• Future Learn- https://www.futurelearn.com/
• Harvard Online- https://online-learning.harvard.edu/
• MIT Open Courseware- https://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm
• OpenLearn- https://www.open.edu/openlearn/
• Stanford Online- https://online.stanford.edu/

NASA

• Space Center Houston- Free App- https://spacecenter.org/app/
• Educational Space Center- https://spacecenter.org/hours/

National Parks and Gardens

• Cliffs of Moher- Virtual Tour- https://www.cliffsofmoher.ie/virtual-visit-tour/
• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew – https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1084/gallery/
• Five National Parks- https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service- Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico, Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah, Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska, and Dry Tortugas National Park in Florida.

Theater and Opera

• 11 Dramatic Virtual Tours of Stages around the World – https://artsandculture.google.com/theme
• AllArts.org-  https://allarts.org/about/
• Nightly Streaming Opera – The Metropolitan Opera-  https://www.metopera.org/

Curbside Checkout

Beginning on Monday, March 23^rd and until the library reopens, the Putnam County Library will be offering Curbside Checkout to its patrons who are in need of materials. This service will only be available at the Cookeville Branch due to logistical reasons.

Service provided: 10am-6pm Monday-Friday

(Hours subject to change)

Placing Holds Online

1. Browse for materials on our catalog at www.pclibrary.org
2. Click “Place Hold” on items you would like.
3. When you get your notification (phone call, text, or email, depending on how your account is set up) you are welcome to come by and we will have your materials ready.

Picking Up

1. When you are here and ready to get your materials, give us a call at (931) 526-2416 to let us know you are here.
2. We will ask you for the library card number used to place the materials on hold and the vehicle you are in.
3. We will bring the materials out to you. You don’t even need to get out of your car!

Need Help?

Simply call us at (931) 526-2416. We can walk you through your online account or you may place a hold via phone.

Returning Items

We encourage all patrons to return materials through the outside book drops at any time.

*Outside book drop returns can be done at all branches*

Reference questions?

We’re here to help! Give us a call at (931) 526-2416 and we will do our best to help if we can!

Putnam County Library

50 East Broad Street

Cookeville, TN 38501

Access READS with your cell phone number

Haven’t gotten around to getting your library card yet but interested in downloading ebooks and audiobooks for FREE? You still can! OverDrive is offering a very special service during this difficult season, that allows you to access the READS library with just a cell phone number!

How does it work? When a user accesses the READS site on a computer/laptop or downloads the Libby or OverDrive app, a box will pop up and ask the user if they have a card. If the answer is ‘No’, it will prompt the user for a cell phone number. OverDrive will verify the address associated with the cell phone number and if it is within the area covered by the regional system the user’s cell phone number will serve as their library card.

The information OverDrive needs to verify addresses is not available for landline numbers.

Visit: reads.overdrive.com to get started! If you need helping setting up the Libby or OverDrive app on a device, visit the ‘Help’ tool or give us a call at the library @ 931-526-2416, and we can walk you through it!

Library Closure Update

In an effort to mitigate the possible spread of Covid-19 among patrons and staff, the Putnam County Library System Board of Trustees voted Wednesday afternoon to close all four branches effective at the end of business Friday, March 20. The Board will reassess the closure on April 3; currently the plan is to reopen on April 6.

All library events are suspended in this time frame, and all public meeting spaces will be closed.

During the two-week closure, staff will be on duty and ready to assist in any way possible, including providing instruction on how to access the library extensive online offerings and resources. Patrons can put books and other media on hold via the website or by phone. Staff will provide curbside checkout. Free wifi remains available outdoors, including in Dogwood Park.

Library staff will be continuously providing updates on social media about the status of the closure and with tips to access its resources remotely.

Staff urge patrons to call to ask how to access these services or for any assistance the library can provide. Visit pclibrary.org or call 931-526-2416.

Putnam County Library and the current health crisis

As a source for information and communication within Putnam County, the PCLS is doing all we can to continue offering services during the current health crisis while still being mindful of well being concerns for both our patrons and staff.

-There are no plans at this time to change our operational hours; any changes that do occur would be announced through our social media accounts. However, due to direction from their organization, the weekly AARP tax assistance volunteers will not be available this week or until further notice.

-Patrons are encouraged to use our exterior book drops to return items if they are not planning on checking out new items. We would also like to encourage patrons to utilize our online hold system, so that they can select items from home and have them ready to check out when they arrive. If you need help setting up an online hold account, please call 931-526-2416.

-We have stepped up our regular sanitizing and disinfection procedures, and have limited the available public use computers to help maintain safe distances between patrons. That being said, we ask patrons and staff who think they may be ill to not come to the library. If you are in need of information for medical assistance, again, please feel free to call and we will do all we can to track down necessary information.

-If you have home internet access, this is an excellent opportunity to look into our many online resources.

• For patrons looking for up to date and reliable news, the Newsbank service is a collection of articles from all over the US, including several from Tennessee. Users can search for specific keywords and filter results by state.

• For families seeking home educational resources, the Tennessee Electronic Library (T.E.L.) offers the full World Book encyclopedia, a multitude of research databases, and a kids’ section with games and homework help.

• Free ebooks and audio books may be downloaded through the statewide R.E.A.D.S. program, and RBDigital offers audiobooks for juvenile and young adult readers.

All of these resources can be accessed for free, from home, with nothing more than a library card number. Links can be found by scrolling down on our homepage, www.pclibrary.org

September is Library Card Sign-up Month!

“Since 1987, Library Card Sign-up Month has been held each September to mark the beginning of the school year. During the month, the American Library Association and libraries unite in a national effort to ensure every child signs-up for their own library card.

Throughout the school year, public librarians and library staff will assist parents and caregivers with saving hundreds of dollars on educational resources and services for students. From free access to STEAM programs/activities, educational apps, in-person and virtual homework help, technology workshops to the expertise of librarians, a library card is one of the most cost effective back to school supplies available.   

How much money can you save?  Visit our Library Value Calculator to total your savings. 

Pixar’s “Toy Story 4” characters Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Bo Peep and friends are joining the American Library Association on an adventure to promote the value of a library card as Library Card Sign-up Month Honorary Chairs.” — http://www.ala.org/news/mediapresscenter/presskits/lcsum

Starting in the month of September, when you sign up for a library card you will have the option of selecting our “Toy Story 4” promotional card! If you are a Putnam County resident and you do not have a library account, it is FREE to sign-up! You may also replace your existing card for just a $2.00 fee. We only have a limited amout of these cards, so get yours while supplies last!

Visit our website for more information on what you need to sign up for a library card.

While you’re here, check out our September events!

May 2019 Programs & Events

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