Portage Library to Reopen With Curbside Service

Attention bibliophiles! The long wait is over. The Portage District Library is reopening Wednesday, June 10th with curbside service; Monday through Thursday 10:00am to 7:00pm, Friday from 10:00am to 4:00pm, and Saturday 10:00am to 2:00pm. You can pick up and drop off movies, music, books, and more between those hours. They are taking extra measures to ensure returned materials are quarantined for 72 hours before being checked out and recirculated again.

So how is a curbside library going to work? I reached out the Marketing Director of the Portage District Library, Colin Whitehurst, to get the skinny on the reopening. He said, quote, "We have prepared instructions, technological infrastructure, and signage for our curbside service. Full instructions on how to participate will be released on our website on June 10th."

This is the first step to reopening the library to Portage residents. The library hopes to be able to welcome patrons in to their building beginning June 24th in a limited capacity. Their study and meeting rooms will remain inaccessible, as well as the pre-school room and the toys therein. Employees will be masked, shared equipment such as computers and copy machines will be disinfected regularly, and social distancing guidelines will be expected to be followed by all patrons who enter the building. "As we progress with our reopening plan we will continue to evaluate our services and processes in light of the use and demand by the public and ever-changing regulations from the state," said Whitehurst.