The Monroe County Public Library is once again closing its doors to in-person patrons and returning to a curbside pickup model.
Effective Nov. 30, both the Main Library and Ellettsville Branch will only offer materials through curbside pickup by appointment. The building closure will extend through at least January.
MCPL Communications Manager Mandy Hussey says the change is a response to spiking COVID-19 cases in the area and predicted surges around the holidays.
“There are going to be people that are still having large family gatherings, and we really just are kind of looking at what the local schools are doing, and the community as a whole," she said.
Hussey said during the last two months of in-building service, the library saw only about a quarter of its normal volume of visitors. But with the coming winter, she said she worries about people who use the library for reasons other than checking out books.
“For some people, it’s just a warm, safe place for them to be, and with the closure we’re really not able to do anything to help that population in the way that we typically wish we could," Hussey said.
The MCPL Bookmobile will remain active, and the Friends of the Library Bookstore is available online.
For the latest news and resources about COVID-19, bookmark our Coronavirus In Indiana page here.
