The FDPL continued that option for about a week before ceasing.

As of Monday, the library has resumed that service for its patrons.

“The governor has lifted restrictions and one of the things she allowed was the library to open to the public if they felt it was safe,” said Rita Schmidt, FDPL director. “We don’t have in place yet all of the measures we would like to have in place to keep patrons and staff safe, so we are looking at a phased reopening. And the first step is starting curbside service.”

So while Gov. Kim Reynolds has given the all-clear for public libraries to open again, the Fort Dodge Public Library will be taking its time opening its doors, closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation in Webster County.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
The Fort Dodge Public Library has many new books on its shelves, ready for checking out. Patrons can either request titles through the library’s online catalog, or they can call the library and request the titles over the phone.

Schmidt said that the library staff felt that this was a good time to re-start the curbside service, as the weather is nicer and the library has processes in place to keep everyone safe.

“We have the ability now to handle the books that are going to be returned, making sure that they are either quarantined or disinfected so they are safe for staff to handle and if it’s something another patron would like, it’s safe to do so,” she said.

With the library’s curbside service, library patrons can either reserve book and audiobook titles through the library’s online catalog at www.fortdodgelibrary.org, or they can call the library at 515-573-8167 to request items from a librarian.

For parents or guardians of younger readers who may not know what books they want to check out, the children’s librarian is available to help pick out a handful of age-appropriate reading.

At this time, DVDs and magazines are not available for check out.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Daisy, the Fort Dodge Public Library’s parakeet, is missing her visits from younger library patrons in the children’s section. The FDPL has had a bird in the children’s section for more than 50 years.

When a patron’s order is filled, a librarian will call to let them know. Patrons can pick up their items from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. When the patron arrives at the library, they will need to call the library phone number and a librarian will place their items in a bag and set it on a cart right outside the library doors. Patrons will not enter the library.

“When (the library items) come back, a staff member will retrieve them from the outside book drop while wearing gloves and we’ll set them aside in an area where they can be quarantined, so to speak, for 72 hours,” Schmidt said.

For newer and more popular books, the library staff will be spraying them with disinfectant and putting them in “quarantine” for 24 hours before another patron can check the item out.

Schmidt encourages community members to use some of the extra time they have now to read so they can “focus on something other than the chaos, the ‘new normal.'”

“A way to step outside your daily routine and experiencing something new or different,” she said. “It’s a way to perhaps travel, even though you can’t. You might check out a book on traveling and different places to go for your dream vacation for when we can start safely going other places. It’s just a good way to pass the time and enrich our lives.”

Throughout the library’s closure, the library staff was hard at work ordering new materials and cataloguing the new materials that came in, so there are plenty of new titles on the shelves, ready for check out.

Though Schmidt and the rest of the library staff are happy to provide library services in this way, nothing compares to seeing their favorite patrons in the library every day.

“We really do miss our patrons,” Schmidt said. “Obviously we would prefer to be open, but until we can make sure we can keep everyone safe, this is a compromise.”