People who have had books and movies on hold since before the stay-at-home directive will now be able to pick them up at the drive-up windows in the Gail Borden Public Library District. Starting, Monday, May 4th, the drive-up windows at the Main Library at 270 North Grove and the Rakow Branch at 2751 W. Bowes will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 am - 6 pm for pick-ups. Customers who had books on hold before the Library closed its doors to customers on March 14 will be receiving a phone call regarding those materials.
Drive Up Opening
People who have had books and movies on hold since before the stay-at-home directive will now be able to pick them up at the drive-up windows in the Gail Borden Public Library District. Starting, Monday, May 4th, the drive-up windows at the Main Library at 270 North Grove and the Rakow Branch at 2751 W. Bowes will be open Monday through Saturday from 10 am - 6 pm for pick-ups. Customers who had books on hold before the Library closed its doors to customers on March 14 will be receiving a phone call regarding those materials.
Library officials have planned this new offering with the upmost safety in mind. A small number of staff will be scheduled with minimal contact between staff members. Staff who are handling this service have self-selected to be part of the drive-up service. The contactless style of these drive-up windows makes this opportunity possible for the Gail Borden Library community. People will be able to place a hold online or by calling the Library. They will receive their holds via a bank-type slide-out drawer.
No material returns will be accepted at the drive-up windows. Materials can be returned through materials drop slots at both buildings or at the remote drop boxes. Upon return, materials will be quarantined in excess of CDC guidelines.
During this stay-at-home time period, facilities staff have overseen and performed a thorough deep clean and hospital grade disinfecting of all of the library buildings' interiors, including washrooms, hard services, shelving, computers, floors, furniture, light fixtures and rugs in anticipation of staff and customers returning to the building. In addition, library staff members are working diligently on a prospective reopening plan that will continue to follow the directives of the governor and health officials. Staff anticipate that re-opening to customers will look quite different from the days of the past and will incorporate maximum safety for the staff and public.
In the near-term, people may place holds, pick up materials via the drive-up windows and return items through the drop slot starting May 4.
Items may be reserved in two ways - via online and phone:
- Through the library catalog.
- Search for the item.
- Click on the 'Reserve It' icon, enter the last seven digits of your library card number and your PIN number.
- Click on the "Login" icon.
- Select where you would like to pick out the item.
- A message will verify if the request was successful
- You will be notified when your item is ready to pick up.
People may also call 847-742-2411 to place holds.
For reference inquiries, please call 847-429-4680.
At this time, drive-up service is for Gail Borden cardholders only.The majority of Gail Borden staff continue to work from their homes as the daily "Your Library at Home" online programs continue to draw large audiences and reference staff continue to answer questions via email, text and phone calls.
Working to Keep Customers and Staff Safe in the Library’s Buildings
The Main Library, Rakow Branch and South Elgin Branch have remained closed since March 14 to help slow the spread of COVID-19. Since then, the Library’s Facilities and Building Operations Team has worked collaboratively with outside vendors and staff members to clean and disinfect all three buildings. Although our staff members do an outstanding and thorough job of keeping our buildings clean for Library customers, they have increased efforts to ensure the buildings are clean and sanitized.
- The Library has been working diligently with janitorial subcontractors to put effective cleaning systems in place using hospital-grade disinfectant solutions approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to combat the virus at all of our facilities.
- Staff has increased the disinfecting of all frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, railings and elevators.
- Also, staff has thoroughly cleaned and disinfected all hard surfaces such as tables, chairs, public desks and shelving throughout all three of our facilities.
- All items in the Library’s public and staff washrooms have been thoroughly cleaned and disinfected including floor tile, wall tile, partition walls, plumbing fixtures, door handles, mirrors, lighting fixtures, HVAC supply vents, lighting, shelves and hand dryers.
- Computers and phones in the public areas have been cleaned and disinfected.
- All carpeted areas, tile floors, terrazzo floors and rubber flooring have been professionally cleaned.
- With respect to HVAC Systems, Library staff are following recommendations and guidelines set by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE - Building Operations), which focuses on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and sustainability within the industry.
- The exterior surfaces of the Main Facility and Rakow Branch were professionally cleaned by National Soft Wash Inc., a company that specializes in cleaning and disinfecting commercial and residential structures using a solution that is approved by the CDC and the World Health Organization.