Nashville Public Library Announces Curbside Service, Virtual Summer Reading Program
Nashville Public Library Director Kelsey Schaepperkoetter stands beside a shipment of new books at the library. (Submitted Photo)
By Leah Williams
The Nashville Public Library is heating up this summer season with a couple of services it is offering the community.
A new no-contact curbside pickup service began on Monday, June 8. The service will be offered weekdays, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The new services are the first the library has been able to offer since mid-March, when the building was closed to the public amid growing health concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our first priority during this time is to protect the health and well-being of our staff and patrons,” Library Director Kelsey Schaepperkoetter said. “As such, we designed our curbside services to limit human contact as much as possible.”
Residents can place holds on their desired reading materials by calling the library at (618) 327-3827 or from the share website at https://search.illinoisheartland.org/. They can then log in with their card number and four digit pin to get started.
After the holds are placed, you can then call the library to schedule an appointment time to pick up the books. The library will be open for checking books in and out, as the computers will not be available to the public. The library WIFI will be accessible in the parking lot outside of the building.
The Nashville Public Library has also reopened its outdoor book drop for residents to use. All returned items will be quarantined for three days before they are checked back into the library. Fines will not accrue during the quarantine period. No late fees will also be charged to the accounts per a previous policy in place.
Another new program started today, June 10. The Nashville Public Library has evolved its anticipated summer reading program “Dig Deeper: Read, Explore, Discover!” adapts the page-turning incentive with the help of the app Beanstack. Readers can participate completely online by keeping track of their reading, completing fun activities and earn virtual badges and tickets throughout the app that can be used toward real-world prizes.
Registration is open now and will continue throughout the program. To register, please visit https://nashvillepl.beanstack.org or download the Beanstack mobile app today! To learn more about the summer reading adventure at the library, please email the library at nashvillepublib@gmail.com.
The program ends on Wednesday, July 29. It is free and open to all as no library card is needed to participate.
Schaepperkoetter said the library is hoping that the new-age program will be able to encourage children and adults — readers of any age — to pick up a book this summer season.
“Every summer, our library creates programs aimed to motivate and support family literacy,” she said. “Our goal is to combat the “summer slide”, especially this year as schools closed early due to the pandemic. For this virtual program, we’ve created activities, alongside reading goals, geared towards helping kids explore how things work and investigating what can be found in nature.”
