ALBANY, NY (NEWS10) — Albany Public Library will temporarily close for in-building appointment services starting Tuesday, Dec. 8, due to the surge in positive cases of COVID-19 in Albany County.
The library is rolling back from Phase 2A into Phase 1B based on the positive daily test rate in Albany County, which has remained at or above 3% for the past 14 days. The phases and what each one entails are outlined in the APL Continuation of Service Plan. This document is updated regularly and approved monthly by the library’s Board of Trustees.
“We have been preparing for the possibility that an increase in the virus spread in our community would require the library to move back a phase. Unfortunately, the time has come for us to stop in-building services,” said APL Executive Director Scott C. Jarzombek. “We take this step regretfully and want to assure the community that delivering library services as safely as possible is our main concern right now.”
Even though the buildings will be temporarily closed to the public starting on December 8, APL remains committed to providing a variety of services and materials to patrons:
“We want to assure our patrons that we will continue to provide them access to material and information, we just have to do most of it virtually until the infection rate comes down,” Jarzombek said. “Staff and leaders are already discussing how to resume in-person appointment services when it is safe to do so.”
