The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to affect the Omaha Public Libraries.
The doors have been shuttered at the public libraries for the last 19 weeks, with no indication as to when they might reopen.
Omaha Public Library executive director Laura Marlane tells 6 News that being closed has been really difficult. “I’ve worked in libraries for 35 years,” Marlane said. “I’ve been, I’ve seen a lot of things, I’ve never seen anything like this.”
To stay afloat, they’ve had to make some cuts. “We’ve had to let go, furlough, our part-time staff, which is about 2/3 of our staff, and that’s been really difficult for us,” she said.
Right now, the remaining full-time staff arranges the curbside pick up Wednesday through Saturday at five different locations.
At her budget meeting Tuesday, Mayor Jean Stothert said we have reached a critical point and she’s doing everything possible to avoid layoffs of full-time employees. “The city needs Cares Act funding from the county and the state in order to make up some of the losses and the expenses from COVID,” Marlane explained. “And until that happens, we don’t have the funding needed to reopen.”
The reopening comes with a hefty price tag. Marlane explained they need $70,000 just to pay for their security guards, that’s not including the cost to add in plexiglass and other safety measures.
Even when the money comes, there won’t be enough staff to open all 12 locations. “Our plans when we do reopen would be four locations that we can staff at that capacity, indefinitely,” she said.
For now, librarians and the people missing them will have to wait. “To not be able to have the funds to open, to just have our budgets decimated by a pandemic, it’s just not something anybody had planned for,” Marlane said.
To utilize the library’s curbside pickup, you’ll need to reserve books online and schedule a pickup appointment time in advance.