Representatives of the U.S. Census Bureau will be visiting the Great Bend Public Library from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 4, to encourage and assist people with responding on their own to the 2020 Census.

With southeast Great Bend having a response rate of less than 50 percent Barton County has been deemed with a low enough response rate to qualify for an operation known as Mobile Questionnaire Assistance. The MQA program is separate from census takers going door to door to households that have not yet responded to the 2020 Census. 

The MQA event at the Great Bend Public Library on August 4 will enable Kansas 2020 Census representatives to help Barton County residents complete the census on a 2020 Census tablet or their own device. All census workers have been trained in social distancing protocols and have been issued personal protective equipment, including masks to be worn during MQA support. The Great Bend Public Library will be providing an area for the census takers that will ensure social distancing is in place. Although it is appreciated, census takers will not be required to wear masks. However, all library staff and census representatives will be wearing them, for our and your protection.

Appointments will not be needed for getting census help at the Great Bend Public Library MQA. If people need help responding in a language other than English, Census Bureau staff can provide phone numbers or assistance responding online in 12 other languages. Staff will also have guides available in 59 languages that walk people through how to respond to the English questionnaire. The Great Bend Public Library will also have a staff member on hand to answer simple Spanish questions and help Spanish speaking individuals complete the census.