This is a response to a letter to the editor dated 12/3/2020 in The Warwick Advertiser online entitled “Wisner Library Gambles with Lives by Remaining Open” by Anthony Vitiello.
In the letter, Mr. Vitiello identified himself as the husband of a library staff member and expressed his concern that the Library Board has not closed the library to the public while the “resurgent COVID 19 pandemic rages across the country.”
Mr. Vitiello did not reach out to the Library Board or Administration directly to discuss his concerns
.In addition to correcting two important errors in the letter, as President of the Library Board and on behalf of the Board Members, I would like to reassure Mr. Vitiello and others in the community that the Board takes its responsibility for the safety of the staff and the community very seriously and that we welcome the opportunity to respond to all concerns.
First, the board has been meeting in person at the library, with masks and social distancing since August 2020 when the library first opened to the public. Meetings are held in the Community Room and are open to the public.
Also, our Library is currently not the only Library in RCLS open to the public. In our immediate area, the Florida, Greenwood Lake, Chester, Tuxedo Park and Monroe libraries remain open to the public at this writing. Each library makes their own determination when to open to the public and what services to provide.
These decisions are made considering a variety of factors affecting their locations as well as guidelines from NYS and are subject to change on a daily basis. The same is true for our library.
That being said, the Library Board recognizes that the surge in COVID-19 infections may require a change in its current plans and reviews the situation daily with the Library Director.
The Library Board has approved a plan for the safety of staff and public that includes requiring masks, social distancing and use of hand sanitizer.
Copies of the plan have been available online, at the library since the summer and have been distributed to all staff.
Weekly email newsletters alert the public to any changes.
Public visits to the library are currently limited to one visit per person, per day for no more than two hours on the main floor and no more than 45 minutes in the Children’s Room. Seating is at tables allowing only one person and supplies for sanitizing each space are provided.
Additional twice daily cleaning of all restrooms and surfaces takes place. No more than 30 visitors on the main floor and 15 in the Children’s Room are allowed in the library at a time, a threshold set intentionally well below the allowable threshold provided by NYS guidelines.
The average visit is less than 10 minutes and the visitor thresholds have not yet been met at any time the Library has been open to the public. No group visits are allowed and all programs are virtual.
The lower lobby area, community room and gallery area are off limits to the public in order to provide space for staff to safely spread out to work and take breaks.
Again, please be assured that the Library Board has taken this health crisis very seriously from March 15 when we closed to the public, through the gradual return of library staff and the opening to the public in August of this year.
We will continue to monitor public health circumstances and mandates in Orange County and specifically in Warwick, and will comply readily with any public health recommendations and always welcome any concerns or questions.
Dr. Wayne Rossi
President, Albert Wisner Public Library Board of Trustees