Greetings from the Great Bend Public Library! We are happy to be back to our regular hours this week. We will be closed next Thursday and Friday in observance of the Christmas holiday, as well as, the 31st and 1st for the New Year holiday. However, the rest of the week will be operations as normal.

As a reminder, when entering the library masks are required, due to the county-wide ordnance. In order to create a safe and comfortable environment for all patrons, there will be no exception to this rule, save for children 5 and under. We do not have masks to provide to the public; please come prepared with a mask as you will be asked to leave if you do not have one. If you cannot or do not wish to wear a mask we do offer curbside services as well as reference help over the phone. Don’t forget about our digital lending services, too. These are options as well for anyone who is not comfortable coming to the library yet.

I’m sure most of you are familiar with our digital services by now but as a refresher, we have two digital services free with your library card, Libby and hoopla. Libby offers thousands of e-books and audiobooks you can enjoy straight from your smart device. Hoopla allows you to check out movies, TV shows, music and graphic novels, in addition to a wide selection of e-books and audiobooks. One of the best things about both our digital services is they are open 24/7, even on Christmas day! Both can be found on your app store; just download and sign up with your Great Bend Library card. 

We are offering curbside service upon request. You can put holds on items yourself with our online catalog greatbend.catalog.ckls.org. Log in using the same credentials as Libby and hoopla, then you can browse our collection, place holds and request items. Once we contact you that your holds are ready, just give us a call to request curbside pickup and we will set up a time to bring your materials right to your waiting vehicle. Alternatively, you can also call us to see if we have an item and request to pick it up via curbside.

Lastly, if you have any reference questions, feel free to give us a call and one of our reference librarians will be happy to help you. We are living in different times at the moment but the library will always be here to serve the community. We will continue to do our best to adapt to the changing circumstances so we may continue to serve our patrons in a safe way during this time. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our services. I hope everyone has a happy and safe Christmas next week!

Keep an eye on our Facebook and our website, greatbendpl.info, for upcoming programs, and updates. You can also message us on Facebook or email us at gbcirc@gmail.com.

Hannah Grippin is the outreach and marketing manager for the Great Bend Public Library.