On Monday, Aug. 3, Charles Library, along with Temple’s Ambler Library, Ginsburg Health Sciences Library and the Law Library resumed in-person operations, with the reopening of the Krausz Podiatry Library slated for Monday, Aug. 17. 

“We are so excited to be able to welcome students, faculty, staff and members of the community back,” said Sara Wilson, assistant director of outreach and communications at Temple University Libraries. “We’ve implemented some modifications with the safety of our patrons in mind, so things may look a little different to folks when they first walk through our doors.”

Among some of the first changes you’ll notice when you arrive at Charles Library is that you are being asked to enter the library from 13th Street and exit through the doors on Liacouras Walk. Additional efforts to control the flow of traffic and support physical distancing include the designation of one side of the main staircase for going up with the other side for going down and a limit of two people per elevator.

“Directional arrows and other signage have been posted around Charles Library to remind everyone to maintain six feet of distance from others, and all visitors are expected to follow the four public health pillars defined by the university, including wearing a face covering inside all of our buildings,” she added.

You will still be able to use open seating throughout the library on a first-come, first-served basis, and you will be able to reserve study rooms for individual use and small groups of two to four people in advance.

“To encourage physical distancing, open study seating throughout the library had to be decreased from more than 1,000 seats to about 335,” said Wilson. “And several of our other spaces, such as the 4th Floor Quiet Reading Room, have been reconfigured for use as classrooms, so they will not be available this fall.”

The BookBot is up and running and the use of the Libraries’ special collections is available by appointment. Users should be prepared for longer wait times when borrowing books or requesting to view archival items. All physical materials are being quarantined for three days after being returned before they are put back into circulation. 

“To reduce contact we are asking folks to use the self-check machines to check out books and we are also encouraging our patrons to use our virtual resources, including our digitized collections and e-books, whenever possible,” Wilson said.

For research consultations, librarians will continue to hold appointments as online meetings via Zoom.  

What about laptops and battery packs? You can still borrow them at the kiosks, and a limited number of specialized computers are also available in the Loretta C. Duckworth Scholars Studio. These items will be cleaned and disinfected regularly, but users are also reminded to wash their hands before and after using them.

Speaking of the Scholars Studio, you will find that open as well, with limited services. And you can use Virtual Reality Lab and the Makerspace by scheduling an appointment.

As you prepare for your visit, you should know that library staff are available to help you every step of the way, so please stop by the One Stop Assistance desk if you have questions.

Learn more about the reopening of University Libraries. 

— Kim Fischer