In the midst of our COVID-19 winter, the East Greenwich Free Library is offering us a glimpse of summer. Starting Thursday, April 23, the library will offer curbside service to cardholders Monday through Friday.
The library joins only a dozen other libraries statewide offering this service.
There are limits, and library employees urge residents to be patient when placing orders and to use best social distancing practices when picking up books.
“We are trying so hard to help residents get through this difficult time,” said Research Librarian Diane Hogan, who is heading up this effort. But she wanted people to remember: “There are 3 of us and 13,000 of all of you.”
Each household can check out a maximum of five books a week; only books can be checked out at this time. The books must be contained within the confines of the EG Free Library – there are no transfers during this COVID-19 crisis. To request books, call the library between 10 a.m. and noon, Monday through Friday. If you’d prefer requesting your books through the website HERE and go to the link for “Get 5 Library books” after making sure that these titles are on the shelves.
If you need to get a library card, click HERE and fill out the application.
There are no returns until the crisis is over – if you have library items at your home now and/or you get books from the curbside service, hold onto them until further notice. All library items are checked out until June 1 for now, both those you may have checked out before the crisis and those you pick up now. There are also no fines.
When you place your order, the librarian will take your information, retrieve the books, check them out to you, and leave them at the vestibule of the library tagged with your name. You are asked to wait until the vestibule is unoccupied before you go to pick up your books (think indoor ATM). The vestibule will be open between 10 and noon.
Call 884-9510, ext. 3, between 10 and noon to place your order.
UPDATE: The EG Free Library, which began contactless book pickup a couple of weeks ago, has made the process a little easier. There is now an online form available on the website HERE, which can be filled out Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. You can also call between 10 a.m. and noon M-F to reserve you books (401-884-9510, ext. 3).
Households can get up to five books a week. Books ready for pickup will be left on a cart in the entrance to the library for two days. There are no book returns at this time. If you need to get a library card, click HERE and fill out the application.
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Where is a list of available books?
No list. You need to call and ask for a book and hope they have it. Not a perfect system but the best they can do for now.
Presumably, we can log onto CLAN (http://www.oslri.org/osl-responds-covid-19/), search for a book, and see if it’s available at EG’s library.
Check out Diane’s comment for a better way to access books at EG Free Library.
Just called at 08:35 AM….something wrong with their phone.
Requests start tomorrow 04-23-20. Call between 10AM and noon.
To find out if a book is available at our library, go to https://catalog.oslri.net/ and select to search “East Greenwich Free Library,” rather than “View Entire Collection.”
Then you’ll know for sure if we can fill your request. Either call 884-9510 , x. 3 between 10-noon, Monday through Friday (again, one person is answering the phone, so call back if you get a busy signal) or got to our website at eastgreenwichlibrary.org and open the link for “Get 5 EGR library books.” Thank you, Diane Hogan
Thanks so much! Without the list, many people, myself included, would keep the librarians on the phone for longer than necessary.
Phone number won’t go through. Typical ‘I am sorry, the number you dialed is not in order…’ I did send my request via the form on the EGFL website.