Since April 7, 2021, the Ventura County Library System libraries, including libraries in the cities of Ojai, Ventura, Port Hueneme, and Fillmore, have welcomed the public back for limited indoor services including browsing and checkout of collections and computer use. Customers have up to 50 minutes per day to conduct activities in the library.

Since summer of 2020, customers have also been able to place holds for library materials online and pick them up when ready just outside the front doors of the libraries. Throughout the pandemic, the library system has worked closely with public health officials and within state guidelines for libraries to provide safe library services and programs.

The safety of customers and staff remain the first priority and customers may notice enhanced safety measures when they come back to the library, such as plexiglass barriers at service desks, availability of hand sanitizer, and socially distanced computer workstations. The library has covered additional costs throughout the pandemic associated with paying janitorial crews for more often and extra deep cleaning measures and upgraded filters on HVAC systems. The library continues to provide numerous online programs and resources, but also has plans to implement some in-person programs again as early as this summer. When the state reopens, public seating and tables will be made available again for study and reading, and time limits for library use per day eliminated.

At the Ventura County Library System, 42% of library employees were redeployed over the course of the pandemic to serve as Disaster Services Workers for other county agencies, performing tasks such as delivering meals to seniors, contact tracing and working at vaccination clinics. During the pandemic, several customer service modifications were made, some of which the library is planning to continue after the pandemic because they were so successful, such as offering live online tutoring for students in both English and Spanish, chat reference services, virtual STEAM and Storytime programs, and enhanced ebook collections. For a seven-month period in the past year, over 2,000 students received live tutoring online through the library. Over 25,000 people received virtual library cards online to access ebooks and databases, including many students accessing these resources for schoolwork. And from July 2020 to April 2021 an average of 15,600 items were checked out from the libraries per month. Ebook usage increased 75% over the past year, and eaudiobook usage increased 25%. From March 2020 to April 2021, staff produced 621 live Storytime programs on Facebook which had 70,044 unique views. In partnership with the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging, the Mobile Library delivered Face Mask Kits, containing face masks for children and adults, hand sanitizer and information for older family members, to some of the hardest hit areas of the county. In September 2020, the Board of Supervisors approved the library to go permanently fine free for overdue library materials, meaning there are no overdue fines that could prevent people from using the library. This positive change removes barriers to library services for some of the most vulnerable populations who need library services the most.

The Ventura County Library continues to partner with other agencies and non-profits to share resources and implement impactful programs designed specifically to meet the needs of people in Ventura County. Acknowledging that basic needs must be met before people can participate in lifelong learning and education, many of these partnerships focus on addressing the mental and physical well-being of community members in addition to providing library and literacy services. Other partnerships address the need for access to technology and digital literacy. For example, the library will soon implement Parent and Child Together classes in collaboration with First 5 of Ventura County to address the social and emotional needs of children and their parents and develop early literacy skills; and, a program to provide technology and workforce training through the Mobile Library in partnership with the Workforce Development Board of Ventura County and America’s Job Center of Oxnard. The library is also working with the Ventura County Area Agency on Aging to loan computers to seniors across the county to address social isolation and access to health information. And, in summer 2021 the Avenue Library will host the Lunch at the Library program to meet the nutritional needs of children who are out of school for the summer, along with the annual Summer Reading program to address literacy.

To find out more about the Ventura County Library, please visit us online at www.vencolibrary.org.