June 25, 2021

Hello New London!

I’m delighted to be here. I started work as Director at the Tracy Memorial Library on June 2, and have enjoyed getting to know the staff, the building, and the community. Thank you for your warm welcome.

I have arrived at an exciting time. Not only is it the start of summer, but it is also a time when activities are returning to some normalcy as we make our way out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The library is beginning its summer reading programs – including storytime on the lawn for young children, and book bingo for teens and adults. Since arriving in town, I’ve attended yoga, dined at several restaurants, and shaken many hands. I’m looking forward to exploring local shops, listening to concerts on the Town Green, and taking in a few plays under the stars. All of these things are possible because we continue to see a downward trend in virus transmission, and as more people become vaccinated. 

At the library we continue to take a cautious and gradual approach to restoring services. As a public space where everyone is welcome, we are taking care to consider our patrons who still remain vulnerable – those who are under 12, those who are allergic to the vaccine ingredients, and those who may have underlying health conditions where the vaccine may not be effective. For now, we continue to have a requirement that patrons wear a mask when inside the library building, and we continue to limit our capacity to reduce the overall risk. We continue to offer our convenient Porch Pickup service, for those who wish to check out materials without coming inside the building. Our youth floor is available to visit by appointment, and our main floor is open for browsing. We are working on a new schedule for July that will offer more hours, so you can come in to browse more easily. It’s so wonderful to see people gradually returning to the library space. 

If you’ve visited the library recently, you may have noticed that we are under construction. The library building is having a fire suppression sprinkler system installed to protect our beautiful historic building. Construction began earlier this month, and will be ramping up in July and August. We are doing our best to continue to provide library services throughout the construction, and yet there may still be a few disruptions. Please pardon our dust, as we navigate this process. 

Before I close this letter, I’d like to take a moment to thank all of the hard-working staff at the Tracy Library. They have kept the library going throughout the pandemic. They increased online services while the building was closed. They found creative ways for no-contact checkout of books and other materials through porch pickup. They established new safety protocols for allowing patrons into the library building. They truly care about serving the community, and I’m so grateful for all that they do. 

The Tracy Library is here to serve you, and all of the New London community. I’m honored to be able to lead this public institution as we take each step towards a post-pandemic future. Thank you for being a library patron, through all of this. See you at the library!

Sincerely,
Crystal A. Schimpf