More than a year has passed since the doors of the Hagaman Memorial Library were closed to the public, but on April 19, the library staff was ready to welcome patrons back into the library. While patrons can now come to the library to browse the shelves, they must do so by appointment only.

“By and large, public library collections are for browsing—for people to look for something to catch their interest—so moving to scheduling the public into the library building for browsing the collection and checking out materials is a path toward normalcy,” said Bruce George, director of the library. “Further, the personal interaction between library staff and the public will be welcomed and is another path to normalcy.”

Those wishing to make a 20-minute appointment should call the library at 203-468-3890. Different groups can make appointments at scheduled times, including on Monday and Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for adults and 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. for families; while all are welcome to schedule appointments on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 2:30 to 4:30 p.m., and 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. Patrons should sanitize their hands when entering the building, wear face masks, and maintain social distance.

In addition to growing appointments, curbside service will continue. George has found that patrons have enjoyed the curbside service in which they can request materials online or via phone. The staff also began a Book Bag program that has been popular with children and teens.

“This is to put together a bundle of books with some freebies,” said George. “The book bag program for teens was designed based upon reading profiles teens submitted and it has a committed audience who are getting monthly book bags.”

There has also been an increase in usage of the library’s online resources and e-material platforms, including OverDrive and Hoopla, which allow people to check out e-materials, including ebooks, movies, music, audiobooks, comics, and TV shows, directly from their devices with their library card.

“The use of Hoopla has doubled in its use during pandemic,” said George. “It is easy to use and there is not a wait time to borrow materials. A particular title can be checked out without having to put a hold on the title because another person has it checked out.”

Hoopla does require a library card, which can now be obtained on the library’s website, www.hagamanlibrary.org, and selecting “Online Library Card Registration among the links at the top of the homepage. Once the registration is completed, it is processed within 48 hours and sent via U.S. mail.

In addition to assisting patrons in finding ways to borrow materials throughout the pandemic, whether through curbside pickup or digital resources, the staff at the library found creative ways to engage with the community. Early on in the pandemic, the children’s librarian held her first virtual story time, which had 600 views.

George has seen other online programming gain traction as well. The staff has used a variety of tools, which as Zoom, WebEx, Facebook Live, Google Meets, and more. The programs not only stream live, but are recorded so the public can access them at a later date. Staple programs that the staff continued throughout the past year includes children’s story times, the Hagaman Teen Advisory Group, the Genealogy Club, the Veterans and Military History Discussion Group, and the Classic and Contemporary book discussions groups.

“The staff added many programs that are timely and topical and it has all been successful and it is also quality programming for the public,” said George. “I have had recent contact by email with a former colleague who lives in another state who has been following the library’s Facebook page who is ‘always amazed by the innovative virtual events’ done by the staff.”

While George and the staff are looking forward to returning to in-person events, there is not yet a timeline as guidelines are continuously shifting. In the meantime, the staff continues to prepare for when the time comes.

Last July, the library added outside public WiFi access so people are able use the Internet outside the library building. The WiFi access is available 24/7. The access will soon be expanded, adding two more access points, as the library has just qualified for an Everybody Learns Wi-Fi Initiative Grant with the state providing money to the Connecticut Education Network to install free outside Wi-Fi access points to select urban and rural areas. East Haven falls within a selected urban area.

In October 2020, Governor Ned Lamont dedicated $2.6 million of Connecticut’s Coronavirus Relief Funds available to the Connecticut State Library to support the state’s public libraries to make health and safety improvements and offer more services to residents amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The Hagaman Library was one of 65 state libraries to receive funding from the Everybody Learns Initiative with a grant allocation of $41,094.

The funds were used for HVAC repairs, primarily with air conditioning improvements; the installation of touchless faucets in all public bathrooms and areas; the installation of new computer cabling in the public areas for all public access computers and circulation desk computers for better computer connectivity; two new circuit breaker panels installed in the 1928 library building with additional electrical outlets installed in the Reading Rooms for laptop use; and two self-checkout units for the public to use, one unit for the upper level and one unit for the lower level.

“The grant has made a difference for what the library can do in its further reopening,” said George, who is looking forward to welcoming the public back to the building. “There has been general praise from the public in how the library’s staff has handled the reserving and checking out of materials for curbside service and now the public will be able to see the staff that they have so long been dealing on the phone with.”