Local Organizations and COVID-19: New Canaan Library

In today’s Q&A, we hear from New Canaan Library Executive Director Lisa Oldham about services that the organization is offering through the COVID-19 emergency and how the staff is faring, among other matters. 

Here’s our exchange.

New Canaanite: I want to talk about the library. First, though, how are you faring? 

Lisa Oldham, director of New Canaan Library

Lisa Oldham: Thank you. I’m well.

Give me a rundown on what library services are available while the building is physically closed.

There are a lot! Digital lending, live-stream programs and technology help are three of the big ones. Our digital collections are excellent and we continue to add more digital content to meet the huge increase in demand. Many library members have not previously borrowed e-books or e-audio books from us so we’ve created how-to videos to help them get them started. Plus, you can “book-a-librarian” to get one-on-one help. Anthony, Cheryl and their teams are continuing to deliver plenty of programs for adults, children and teens through live stream technology each week.

What sort of requests for technology help do library patrons typically make?

We receive a wide array of technology questions. In a typical week we  field questions for help with personal devices (i.e. iPads, smartphones, e-reading apps, email accounts, password management/privacy, etc.), as well as  software solutions, and help with creating/maintaining their personal/professional online presence (i.e. website development and maintenance, Google Drive suite, Social Media etc.). We offer 30-minute individual technology instruction by telephone to members who ‘book-a-librarian‘ online. We continue to create short videos to provide instruction for high-demand topics.

Let’s say someone is not currently a library member but he or she wants to access your digital materials. What can or should they do?

Anyone who lives, works or goes to school in New Canaan is entitled to a library card. If you don’t have a card, go here to get one online. Then go here to start borrowing!

Many of us interact on a regular basis with the library staff. How are they doing?

Thank you for asking. The team are  doing well. Most of the team have been working from home since March 16. We are making great use of Zoom and other platforms to continue our collaborative work and everyone is working from their home office/kitchen/table etc. People are working around the online-learning for their children, spouses working from home etc. They are all incredibly focused on continuing to serve the community. We had a small team continuing the “curbside” service for a further 10 days after we closed, but had to stop even that to be certain we were abiding by the directives. I’ve been so pleased to see the commitment and the swift ingenuity that has enabled us to pivot our service to fully on-line for now.

What is your big overall message to library patrons?

We are here for you—virtually. The incredible support that we have had over the years from the community has ensured that we have the digital content, staff and capability to continue to support our members during this time. The team are on-hand every day to answer questions, help to access materials and programs as well as all the usual reference and information help New Canaanites expect from us every day.