Tag: Cincinnati and Hamilton County

Library pausing in-person service Monday due to surge in COVID-19 cases
Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio – “The health and safety of customers and staff is our first priority,” said Paula Brehm-Heeger in an announcement issued July 2 by the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Paula Brehm-Heeger is the Director of the system of libraries.

Paula Brehm-Heeger is the Director of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County

Her statement was issued after Thursday’s announcement by Governor DeWine and his team of health professionals unveiled a new monitoring and reporting system for COVID 19 infections in each county.

The “Ohio Public Health Advisory System” is based upon a set of criteria and categorizes all Ohio counties in one of four levels. Counties are rated as: 1) yellow, 2) orange, 3) red or 4) purple — with purple being the highest cautionary rating.

Seven counties in Ohio are rated “red” including Hamilton County. The description and guidelines for level three include:
- - Very high exposure and spread
  - Limit activities as much as possible
  - Follow all current health orders
“Based upon this new information, we have made the difficult decision to pause in-person services in our buildings beginning Monday, July 6,” said Brehm-Heeger. All of the 28 open locations will continue to provide curbside or drive-thru service, and they will continue to open nine more locations to provide these services throughout July.

This temporary change is a proactive decision to help limit the spread of the virus, according to Brehm-Heeger. “We will monitor news and information from health officials daily so we can bring back in-person service as soon as the situation improves and the key alert indicators start trending downward. We have repeatedly been reminded that the pandemic is fast moving and requires our quick response and ability to adjust plans accordingly.” Thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we adjust to the pandemic and find new ways to serve you.”

Between now and the middle of July, the Library is phasing services back in, with new locations being added each week. The goal is to be providing services at all locations by mid-July. The exception is Price Hill, as that location is currently closed through the end of 2020 for a major renovation and expansion project. “We’ll use this space to keep you up to date on what is going on. We are excited to see you again,” said Kathy Taylor, Regional Manager in a statement issued on July 3.

The Loveland Branch currently has Curbside Service only and no Drive-Thru Service is planned.

Brehm-Heeger said, “Thank you for your continued patience and understanding as we adjust to the pandemic and find new ways to serve you.”

Hours of Service

Beginning June 15, all open locations will be operating from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Book Drops

All locations are accepting returns through their book drops, except Price Hill. Materials are being quarantined for 3 days before being checked-in, so it will be a few days before you see any changes reflected on your account.

Curbside Service
- Curbside: Avondale, Blue Ash, Clifton, College Hill, Delhi, Forest Park, Green Township, Hyde Park, Loveland, Madisonville, Mariemont, Monfort Heights, North Central, Oakley, Pleasant Ridge, St. Bernard, Sharonville, Symmes, Walnut Hills, Westwood, West End and Wyoming
- Beginning July 6th these branches will open curbside service: Madeira, Mt. Washington
- Beginning July 13 these branches will open for curbside service: Bond Hill, Cheviot, Corryville, Deer Park, Green Hills, Miami Township, Northside, Norwood
Scheduled appointments are not required for curbside service, but calling ahead will make the process more efficient for you, especially if you need to do something other than pick up a hold.

When you arrive at your location for curbside pick-up, look for the curbside service sign, park, and call the branch at the number on the sign.

Drive-Thru Service

Drive-thrus are at these locations: Anderson, Covedale, Groesbeck, Harrison, Reading, and the Downtown Main Library

Scheduled appointments are not required drive-thru service, but calling ahead will make the process more efficient for you, especially for curbside service, or if you need to do something other than pick up a hold. Find phone numbers for all branches on this web page.

Holds/Borrowing Items

If you would like to borrow an item from the library, search our catalog, find the item you want, place a hold on it, and choose which location you’d like to pick up the item from. Or you can call us, and we’ll place the hold for you.

When the item is ready, you will receive an email notice. You can pick it up anytime between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.  If you’d like, you can call the location and schedule a time for pick-up.

In-Person Services

Due to the wide community spread of the virus in Hamilton County right now, the Library made the decision to temporarily suspend in-person services. Read more in this blog post from the director.

We’re Here for You Online and on the Phone
- Our eBranch is always open, and we are continuing to provide events like storytimes online on a regular basis. Check our calendar for more information.
- Call, email or chat with us seven days a week for help with job searching, finding trusted health information, getting assistance with a library resource, and more.
For the latest Library service updates and resources, please visit our COVID-19 resource page.
Jul 5, 2020
Give your best advice about the future of the Loveland Library on June 29

6/29/19 – 10:30 AM until – noon @ Loveland Branch Library

With the possibility of the Loveland Primary and Elementary campus closing and moving to Grailville, the future of our Library is an important and timely discussion to have.

Over the next 10 years, the library will embark on an ambitious plan called Building the Next Generation Library. The first step is to put into place a Facility Master Plan that will serve as a guiding document to inform decision making regarding how the funds from the 1 mill levy that was passed in May 2018 will be used.

In February of this year, the Library officially kicked off the Facility Master Plan project with the first meeting of our newly formed Community Advisory Council. The group of over 50 community members will meet five times over the course of 2019 to help guide the development of the plan. Once complete, the Facility Master Plan will act as a road map for how to best use levy funds to improve all 41 Library locations and better meet the evolving needs of Cincinnati and Hamilton County Residents.

Madisonville community listening session.

In addition to the Community Advisory Council, the Library is seeking to connect with individual residents in even deeper ways. From June 17 to August 26 we’ll be traveling from Branch to Branch for community listening sessions where you’ll be able to voice your opinion as to how we can better serve all of our communities for generations to come. All listening sessions are open to the public and will be posted in the event calendar at CincinnatiLibrary.org. Here are upcoming sessions for the month of June:

•   Groesbeck on 6/17/19 – 6:30pm-8pm @ Groesbeck Branch Library
•   College Hill on 6/18/19 – 6pm-7:30pm @ College Hill Branch Library
•   Mariemont on 6/19/19 – 6:30pm-8pm @ Mariemont Branch Library
•   North Central on 6/27/19 – 6:30pm-8pm @ North Central Branch Library
•   Loveland on 6/29/19 – 10:30am-12:00pm @ Loveland Branch Library

If you can’t make a listening session, please send us your comment, idea, or question about the Next Generation Library initiative using this form. The community outreach doesn’t stop there. We’re also engaging residents through focus groups, surveys and more to inform the Facility Master Plan.

Back in December 2018, the Library’s Board of Trustees selected six key principles to guide this project: maximize access, transparency, customer focus, operational sustainability, industry-leading excellence, and diversity and inclusion. To help ensure we keep these principals at the forefront of our work, we’ve teamed up with local partners including Brown Engineering & Construction, Champlin Architecture, Design Impact, elevar, and FTC&H. Group 4 Architecture, Research + Planning is coordinating the work of these groups and overseeing the development of the Plan.

Madisonville community listening session.

The Library recognizes that facilities which are not accessible to those with mobility challenges need immediate attention. We have contracted with FTC&H to begin discussing needed improvements on the Madisonville, Price Hill, and Walnut Hills Branches in 2019. Price Hill was deemed the highest priority, due to partial ceiling collapse in 2018. The Library expects to break ground on a renovation and expansion project for the Branch in November.

We’ve already held multiple listening sessions in Madisonville, Price Hill, and Walnut Hills. FTC&H has used community feedback to come up with a design concept for Price Hill. We’re looking forward to listening and learning from communities throughout 2019. The success of re-envisioning Library facilities and services for the next generation of Hamilton County residents depends on having a strong understanding of the needs and wants of every segment of the community.

For questions about the Facilities Master Plan, contact Justyn Rampa, Customer Experience Manager at Justyn.Rampa@cincinnatilibrary.org or learn more by visiting the Building the Next Generation Library homepage.

Written by Angela Hursh, Content Team Leader, Main Library

Jun 17, 2019