The Hood River County Library District will begin offering Curbside Services and library material returns at the Hood River County Library on Thursday, May 28, and the Cascade Locks and Parkdale branches on Saturday, May 30. Cardholders may reserve and pick up books, movies and more, all while practicing physical distancing.

Curbside Pickup Services will be scheduled at the Hood River Library Tuesday-Thursday 12:00pm-6:00pm and Friday-Saturday10:00am-3:00pm, and at the Cascade Locks and Parkdale branches Tuesday 2:00pm-6:00pm and Saturday 10:00am-2:00pm.

In order to pick up materials through this service, library patrons will be asked to place holds on their library cards through the library’s online catalog or by calling the branches directly: Hood River (541) 386-2535, Cascade Locks  (541) 374-9317 and Parkdale (541) 352-6502. Holds may take longer to fill due to library materials being quarantined upon return and library closures within the Sage Library System. If patrons are not sure which items they want, library staff may be able to recommend items that suit their interests. Pickups are limited to 15 items total. This includes patron holds and items selected through recommendations.

The safety of staff, patrons and the community remain Hood River County Library District’s top priority. All staff members are required to wear gloves, a face mask, clean and sanitize work areas and will practice recommended physical distancing from other staff members and members of the public during the Curbside Service. The process will be free of physical contact with staff members.

Library patrons are asked to only return items in the outside book drops. All items returned to the library during this time will be placed in a 72-hour quarantine before being placed back on the shelves. In order to manage the quarantine process effectively and the high amount of returns anticipated, the library is requesting patrons do not drop off donations at this time. The library will be able to accept donations in the future.

Patrons will not accrue overdue fines until the library reopens in full. Patrons will be charged a replacement fee for items 4 weeks overdue from their due date. All library materials checked out prior to the closure will be due June 12. This fee will be waived if the library materials are returned to the library.

The Hood River County Library District Leadership Team has developed a reopening plan using recommendations from Governor Kate Brown, local health department officials, and the Oregon State Library. The plan involves re-opening the library in stages. The library will be moving to stage 3 on May 28. The plan can be viewed at www.hoodriverlibrary.org.

The Hood River County Library District Leadership Team will approach each stage of reopening with careful thought and consideration to ensure the safety of the staff, volunteers and patrons. The library will reverse the order of the stages during the pandemic in the event of a local outbreak of COVID-19.

Library staff encourage patrons to continue to use their online resources and services. Residents in the service area can sign up for a library card through the website at www.hoodriverlibrary.org to access: ebooks and audiobooks, stream movies and kid’s educational programming, and to access online databases and more through the digital library.

The library is offering a variety of online programming and services. To learn about programs, services, and updates, patrons can follow the Library on social media (Facebook and Instagram), check the library website, and sign up for the e-newsletter.

Library staff look forward to welcoming patrons back into their libraries. The Library’s Leadership Team will continue to monitor the situation and respond accordingly.