Plum Lake Public Library Curbside Service Guidelines

Libraries have been given specific guidelines from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction on how to handle curbside deliveries.  To support social distancing efforts and to follow state orders, the library is operating with very limited staff. Staff will fill your holds as quickly as physically possible and we thank you for your patience.  Place your request, at the latest, the day before pickup to give library staff time to fulfill your request.

Please follow these instructions:

1. Place items on hold.  Let us know what you need from the library.  We have books (of course!), DVDs, CDs, audiobooks, jigsaw puzzles, and more.  Currently, delivery of items between libraries is suspended.  You may only request items that are available at Sayner.  There are a few ways to place your order.
   1. Place specific title holds through the Merlin Library Catalog at https://merlin.nwls.lib.wi.us/.  Please request only items listed as “Available” at Sayner. 
   2. Email ebraunel@sayner.wislib.org with a number of items you would like and item suggestions like “historical fiction”, “books by authors like C. J. Box”, “Tom Hanks movies” or “any new mysteries in the past year”.  We will try our best to provide a grab bag of items fitting your requests.
   3. Call the library at 715-542-2020 and leave a message.
2. Schedule a pickup time.  If you’ve placed holds through our online catalog or by email, we will call you to let you know your times are ready for pickup and to schedule a pickup time.  If you call by phone, a pickup time will be scheduled when you place your request.  We will be giving you a number at the time of your order that will be on your bag when you pick up your items. 
3. Pick up your items.  Pickups will be staggered at 15-minute increments to maintain social distancing during the pick-up process. You must pick up your holds at the designated pick-up time.
   1. Staff will pull your items, check them out to you, and place them in a bag. There will be a slip with your order number stapled to the bag.
   2. Stay in your vehicle until your pick-up time. 
   3. A staff person will bring your bag of items out to our delivery table. 
   4. Please wait until our staff has returned to the building before getting out of your car to retrieve your items.  Only one person should leave the vehicle to pick up items from the table.  Please do not attempt to use the curbside pickup table to return materials. This is essential to maintain safe handling of all materials.  If returning items, place them in the book drop outside the library entrance.
   5. Return to your vehicle as soon as you’ve picked up your items to allow us to serve the next patron safely. 

If it is raining and windy, we may need to cancel pickup.

Remember, the Plum Lake Public Library remains closed to the public. Restrooms, computers, and other services will not be accessible. 

The book drop is open, but you do not have to return items.  You can renew items online or call us and we can renew them over the phone.  All fines are being waived.  No donations are being accepted at this time.

Don’t forget, you can check out books and audiobooks from Wisconsin’s Digital Library (https://wplc.overdrive.com/), take a class through Gale Courses (https://education.gale.com/l-nwater), or use the resources from Badgerlink (https://badgerlink.dpi.wi.gov/) anytime.  All you need is your library card!  If you need help getting your library card number or have any other questions, please call the library at 715-542-2020.

Safety Considerations

The Plum Lake Public Library is following the guidelines provided by the CDC and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services to ensure the safety of our staff and patrons. Library staff will strictly adhere to current guidelines regarding social distancing, hygiene, and cleaning as we provide curbside service.

We will be quarantining all returned materials for 24 hours before handling them, so they will remain checked out to your library card for several days after you return them. We can only accept returns through the book drop in order to make sure these quarantine procedures are followed correctly. Please do not place returned materials on our curbside delivery table or anywhere else at the library.
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Despite following these guidelines, the Plum Lake Public Library cannot guarantee that all our materials are completely free of contagion.  It is possible that the COVID-19 virus can remain viable on hard surfaces for several days.  Please use your discretion about how to keep yourself and your family safe. If you are concerned about exposure to COVID-19 from library materials, we suggest that you keep your materials quarantined in their delivery bag for 24 hours before you handle them, or that you avoid the risk altogether by using our digital services instead.