Here’s a list of southwestern Illinois libraries and their COVID-19 reopening plans
They are cooling centers, places for children to spend summer days and an on-ramp to the internet. They enable the jobless to search for work amid record unemployment, help kids keep their reading skills up and provide an important social outlet for older folks.
As library services moved online in the face of the statewide coronavirus shutdown, some of the patrons who needed them the most lost access.
“(Libraries) are the place where people go when it’s too cold outside, because it’s too hot outside, and it’s one of the few places you’re allowed to come in and sit and exist and you don’t have to pay for it,” said Laura Robinson, 33, a former library worker and mother of a 17-month-old who loves story books. They’re regular patrons of the Belleville Public Library.
While Illinois is slowly reopening, libraries will not simply pick up where they left off. The pandemic ‘s impact on local tax revenues could force a long-term reduction of services and staff, said Leander Spearman, director of the Belleville library.
“We’ve been through economic downturns, recessions. We’ve had lean years where we’ve had to cut back on budgets,” Spearman said. “This is the first time in my professional career that everything just literally stopped and there was nothing we could do about it. ... It’s a lot of trying to figure out, OK, it’s going to be bad. What can we do to not make it horrible?”
Only six out 30 Belleville library staff are still working, with the rest on furlough. Spearman doesn’t know when or if they will all be able to come back.
“I need to minimize how bad it’s going to be,” Spearman said. “Never in our worst economic times did it come to the point where it affected staff.”
The Belleville library will receive a $55,597 grant this year from the Illinois Secretary of State’s office to assist with losses due to COVID-19, the office announced Thursday.
As the imminent shutdown became apparent in late February and early March, libraries quickly adapted as many services as they could to an online format — electronic books, audio books, virtual story time and streaming musical performances. They nixed due dates and late fees, and made it possible to get a library card over the phone instead of in-person.
Despite the adversity they face now and in the future, libraries have “done a really good job in adapting,” Robinson said.
“I absolutely have always believed in the importance and value of libraries. During the time when everything is uncertain and it’s chaos half the time for kids at home, especially for distance learning, the library — despite having to close its doors — was still rock solid,” Robinson said.
Essential resources
The closings hit hardest in communities without reliable internet.
In Fairmont City, residents depend on libraries for digital access and learning English. Nearly 90% of children between the ages of 5 and 17 speak Spanish at home, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, and 80% of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino. Nearly a quarter of the city lives below the poverty line, more than twice the St. Louis metro region’s rate.
“A lot of our families there might only have their cellphones. If you have a data cap, you’re out of luck,” said Kyla Waltermire, executive director of the Mississippi Valley Library District, which includes Fairmont City and Collinsville branches.
“It’s just compounding an already broad digital divide that we were trying to resolve in other ways.”
The library is an essential resource for English language learners, Waltermire added. A lack of reading in the summer can end with “summer slide,” or a loss of vocabulary and reading skill, for both language learners and native speakers.
Clara Marquez of Fairmont City, interviewed in Spanish, said her family deeply misses visiting the library. The 41-year-old mother of four said it’s an emotional subject because the programs and staff at the Fairmont City branch help her and her family with whatever they need.
While the Marquez family has internet access at home, the well-being of the community has been on her mind with the loss of in-person library services.
Youth such as her children, who range in age from 11 to 21, miss out on opportunities to explore interests in programs like the STEM series at Mississippi Valley libraries. Students can learn about 3D printing, photography, drones and coding, among other topics.
“The work that we’re doing there is crucial in helping them to succeed lifelong,” Waltermire said. “It’s with the purpose that they will be able to have a better life because of something that enriched them by attending that program. So, yeah, there’s a lot being lost this summer.”
Belleville Public Library opened up their wireless internet signal to allow patrons to access it from the parking lot. A roughly $1,000 grant from two local banks will help the Mississippi Valley district set up devices that will allow patrons to do the same.
This might be the best solution for the time being, Spearman said. They began curbside pickup this week, but have no immediate plans to reopen their building to the public because of the ongoing COVID-19 risk.
“Most people just want to actually come into a library,” said Rebecca Cline, youth services coordinator at Belleville Public Library. “Virtually, it’s getting there, but it’s just not the same.”
List of southwestern Illinois libraries
Despite the challenges, libraries still provide services. Here’s a list of metro-east libraries and the services they’ll offer this summer:
Belleville Public Library
Downtown: 121 E. Washington St., Belleville; 618-234-0441
West Branch: 3414 W. Main St., Belleville; 618-233-4366 bellevillepubliclibrary.org
Services: Online library, curbside pickup at downtown branch, youth summer reading program, story time, streaming science experiments, live online music performances, WiFi available in parking lot
Bethalto Public Library
321 S. Prairie St., Bethalto 618-377-8141 bethaltolibrary.org
Services: Limited in-person services with reduced hours, masks required and social distancing; browsing the collection allowed; no seating or public computers available; printing, copying and fax available; curbside pickup still available
Breese Public Library
530 N. Third St., Breese 618-526-7361 breeselibrary.org
Services: Online library, curbside pickup, online library
Cahokia Public Library District
140 Cahokia Park Drive, Cahokia 618-332-1491 cahokialibrary.org
Services: Online library, virtual summer reading program, free “little library”
Case-Halstead Public Library
550 Sixth St. Carlyle, IL 62231 618-594-5210 casehalstead.org
Services: Online library, virtual summer reading program, curbside pickup, copies and faxes
Caseyville Public Library
419 S. Second St., Caseyville 618-345-5848 caseyvillelibrary.org
Services: Online library, curbside pickup, homebound delivery, anti-racism resources, weekly Teen Talks, summer reading program, virtual activity group, community garden
Collinsville Public Library
408 W. Main St., Collinsville 618-344-1112 mvld.org
Services: Online library, bedtime stories, “baby boogie” videos, at-home STEM activities, virtual summer reading program
Columbia Public Library
106 N. Metter Ave., Columbia 618-281-4237 columbialibrary.org
Services: Online library, curbside pickup, virtual story time, bedtime stories, singing and rhyming videos, at-home activities
Daugherty Public Library
220 S. Fifth St., Dupo 618-286-4444 dupolibrary.org
Services: Online library, book return available
East Alton Public Library
250 Washington Ave., East Alton 618-259-0787 eastaltonlibrary.org
Services: Limited in-person services with reduced hours, masks required and social distancing; only 10 people allowed at a time; only short visits allowed
East St. Louis Public Library
5300 State St., East St. Louis 618-397-0991
Fairmont City Library
4444 Collinsville Road, Fairmont City 618-482-3966 mvld.org
Services: Online library, bedtime stories, “baby boogie” videos, at-home STEM activities, virtual summer reading program
Fairview Heights Public Library
10017 Bunkum Road, Fairview Heights 618-489-2070 fairviewheightslibrary.org
Services: Online library, accepting returns; lobby pickup starts June 17; virtual summer reading program; craft program with supplies provided first-come, first serve; virtual story time; makerspace challenges; “Cards for Kindness” program; weekly challenges for prizes
Freeburg Area Library District
407 S. Belleville St., Freeburg 618-539-5454 freeburglibrary.com
Services: Online library, curbside pickup, summer reading program
Glen Carbon Centennial Library
198 S. Main St., Glen Carbon 618-288-1212 glencarbonlibrary.org
Services: Online library, online library card registration, curbside pickup, virtual yoga, virtual adult book club, book and activity club for children and teens
Hartford Public Library District
143 W. Hawthorne St., Hartford 618-254-9394 facebook.com/hartfordlibrary
Services: Open for limited services including printing, faxing, notary, checking out and returns; masks required; call upon arrival
Hayner Public Library
Downtown: 326 Belle St., Alton
Alton Square: 132 Alton Square
Genealogy & Local History Library: 401 State St., Alton
618-462-0677 or 618-462-0677 haynerlibrary.org
Services: Open for modified hours (call upon arrival), online library, curbside pickup, virtual summer reading programs, virtual performance series, virtual story and art series, puppet time videos
Lebanon Public Library
314 W. St. Louis St., Lebanon 618-537-4504 lebanonpubliclibrary.org
Services: Online library, online library card application, free “little library”
Louis Latzer Memorial Public Library
1001 Ninth St., Highland 618-654-5066 highlandillibrary.org
Services: Open with restrictions, social distancing and masks required; public computers not available; online requests preferred for pickup; no public restrooms available; free WiFi available in parking lot; virtual story time; virtual coding club; instructional videos for arts and crafts; summer reading program
Madison Public Library
1700 Fifth St., Madison 618-876-8448 cityofmadisonil.com
Marissa Public Library
212 N. Main St., Marissa 618-295-2825 facebook.com/marissapubliclibrary
Services: Open regular hours, social distancing and masks required; no more than 10 people allowed in the building at one time (including staff); 30 minutes on a computer by appointment only
Maryville Community Library
8 Schiber Court, Maryville 618-288-3801 maryville.lib.il.us
Services: Online library and card catalog, digital lending, no inter-library loans at this time, no-contact porch pickup, checkout by phone available
Mascoutah Public Library
3 W. Church St., Mascoutah 618-566-2562 mascoutahlibrary.com
Services: Online library, curbside pickup, summer reading program, laptop check-out, online storytime on Facebook
Millstadt Public Library
115 W. Laurel St., Millstadt 618-476-1887 millstadt-library.org
Services: Online library, curbside pickup with limited hours (call upon arrival)
Morrison-Talbott Library
215 Park St., Waterloo 618-939-6232 waterloolibrary.org
Services: Online library, curbside pickup, outdoor dropbox returns, online storytime via Facebook and Zoom, summer reading program, free TumbleBooks access, Ancestry.com access
New Athens District Library
201 N. Van Buren St., New Athens 618-475-3255 newathenslibrary.org
Services: Online library, curbside pickup, free wifi access from parking lot, summer reading program, outside dropoff box available
New Baden Library
210 N. First St., New Baden 618-588-4554 newbadenlibrary.org
Services: Open with limited hours, online library, fax and copy machines, scanner, laminating, free wifi, computers with Internet access, summer reading program
O’Fallon Public Library
120 Civic Plaza, O’Fallon 618-632-3783 ofpl.info
Services: Limited in-person services, masks required and social distancing; one-hour computer access for those seeking jobs, completing government or educational paperwork, finding health or finance information; summer reading program; notary service; copying, faxing and printing
Red Bud Public Library
925 S. Main St., Red Bud 618-282-2255 redbudpubliclibrary.weebly.com
Services: Online library, curbside pickup, book drop available
Roxana Public Library
200 N. Central Ave., Roxana 618-254-6713 roxanalibrary.org
Services: Online library, curbside pickup with limited hours, summer reading program
Six Mile Regional Library District
Niedringhaus Building: 2001 Delmar Ave., Granite City
Johnson Road Branch: 2145 Johnson Road, Granite City
smrld.org 618-452-6238
Services: Online library, curbside pickup at Johnson Road Library, book drops open, summer reading challenge, free open access wifi in parking lots, online events and activities via Facebook
Smithton Public Library
109 S. Main St., Smithton 618-233-8057 smithtonpl.org
Services: Open with limited capacity, masks and social distancing required, eight patrons in the library at a time, online library, curbside service still available, drop box available, summer reading program, limited computer access by reservation only
Trenton Public Library
118 E. Indiana, Trenton 618-224-7662 trentonil.org/library/
Services: Open with limited hours; open stacks, online library, fax and copy machines, scanner, laminating, free wifi, notary services
Tri-Township Public Library
209 S. Main St., Troy 618-667-2133 troylibrary.org
Services: Online library; curbside services with reduced hours, includes faxing, copying, printing, notary and pick-up of requested materials
Valmeyer Public Library
300 S. Cedar Bluff, Valmeyer 618-935-2626 valmeyerpubliclibrary.weebly.com
Services: Online library, curbside pickup, summer reading program
Wood River Public Library
326 E. Ferguson Ave., Wood River 618-254-4832 woodriverlibrary.org
Services: Online library, curbside hold pickup by appointment, virtual events/programs via Facebook and Zoom, summer reading challenge, temporary library cards for Wood River residents
This story was originally published June 11, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
