Spring is in the air, chipmunks are chipping, and people are asking…”When will the library reopen?” 

If you are like me, one of the things you have missed most during the last year is the regular trip to 4 Oak Street, walking in the door, taking a deep breath to smell the thousands of volumes, and being greeted by the most wonderful staff and group of volunteers in our community. But take heart, there is light at the end of the tunnel

At its last board meeting, the BHML Board of Trustees voted unanimously that the library would re-open for browsing when all of the staff who intend to be vaccinated are vaccinated. Lucky for us, Governor Mills recently announced that beginning Wednesday, April 7, all Maine residents age 16 and older will be eligible for vaccination. This will allow our library staff to finally be eligible to receive their vaccines. Do keep in mind that we will still be following all the pandemic protocols, so make sure you have your mask and remember to social distance. (We know you want to hug everybody but that will still have to wait.)

A timeline is set for opening for browsing May 25, barring any drastic changes in numbers. We will be making the opening date announcement including all the important details in the near future. In the meantime, please continue to regularly check the library website (bbhlibrary.org) for updates, and information about current programs and upcoming events, and new books.

I also want to take this opportunity to publicly thank our amazing library staff; Executive Director Joanna Breen; Assistant Director Harolyn Hylton; Circulation Coordinator Meg Donaldson; Community Technology Coordinator Bethany Schmidt, and our newest staff member in the Children’s Room, Jennifer Betts. 

The library may have been closed but this staff has been working tirelessly. Books still were flying off the shelves during the last 12 months (a total of 18,979 books to be exact) and preparing bags of books for kids to be picked up, quarantining, sanitizing, and reshelving books on their return—on top of the regular work was no easy feat. Keep in mind that our amazing group of volunteers does the work of two full-time staff. Without those capable hands to turn to, the staff was swamped just making sure that we all got the books we asked for quickly and safely. In spite of that paramount focus, they continued to provide new programs and partnerships, like with the high school library to deliver library cards and hold book discussions, the YMCA to increase reach of their food program, financial “zooms”, online story times, and a popular Winter Reading challenge to get us through the cold.

In a recent poll of our patrons, the comment we heard more often than any other was, “I don’t know what I would have done without the library during this last year. To be able to go over and pick up books to read made all the difference in my life.”