Monongahela Library to welcome back public — with restrictions
By ERIC SEIVERLING
eseiverling@yourmvi.com
Residents in Monongahela who have been asking for the city’s library to open its doors to the public will soon get their wish granted.
Sort of.
On Monday, the Monongahela Area Library, located at 813 West Main St., will reopen with restrictions and time limitations.
The library has been closed to the public since March due to the coronavirus pandemic, utilizing only a curbside pickup service since June.
The library now will be open for a grab-and-go service, allowing patrons to browse the book stacks for 15 minutes at a time. They will be required to make an appointment to use the library’s computers for a maximum of 30 minutes, according to library board member Terry Necciai.
“The library will not be open for lingering and spending a lot of time in the stacks or sitting around reading newspapers,” Necciai said.
If a visitor takes a book off the shelf to browse, but does not borrow it and take it home, the book will be taken off the shelf to be sanitized.
Visitors must wear face masks and practice social distancing. Protective shields have been installed at librarians’ desks, and children under 10 can’t enter the library unless attended by an adult.
The opening comes after a tumultuous spring for the facility. The library’s director resigned, its air conditioning system broke down and it was shut down by COVID-19.
“It’s an unusually hot summer and I’m not sure how people are going to feel inside the lobby,” Necciai said.
Despite the limitations, Necciai said the library has a bright future.
“We’ve been having a lot of online programs and we are still technically taking donations of books,” he said. “Our community room is full of books.”
The library is planning an outdoor book sale in its parking in the next few weeks. It may be part of Monongahela’s Fleatique event, scheduled for Oct. 3.
“The library does a lot of other things,” Necciai said. “We don’t feel a great urgency (to open completely) because it’s not wise.”
The library will be open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays. The library is closed Sundays. For more information, call 724-258-5409.
