Director's Message: We're Open!

Dear Library Patrons, We are pleased to announce that today, Monday, June 8, your Miami-Dade Public Library System is again open to the public.  We have implemented COVID-19 safety and protective measures that will be required of our patrons and staff – such as the wearing of face coverings to enter and while in the library, hand sanitizing/washing upon entry, and occupancy limits to help maintain social distancing – so that everyone can again enjoy the in-library services that so many of you are accustomed to and rely upon.  You can find more details and information about our safety measures in our Reopening Plan. We are especially excited about our new expanded operating hours and additional days of service that will allow most of our locations to be open until 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday and until 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, including 13 locations where an additional day of service has been added.  The 345 weekly hours of service that have been added to our open hours will provide you with greater access to our services throughout the week.  A full list of our operating hours can be found here. During the time our library buildings were closed for public visits, we were never really “closed.”  Our library team continued to adapt and serve our residents in new and creative ways, including: Responding to more than 7,000 calls and emails for assistance, resulting in the issuance of over 3,200 new library cards and a nearly 50 percent increase in our eContent usage compared with the same time last year. Providing walk-up services for patrons to pick up materials using our online catalog or mobile app or by calling their nearest branch. Experimenting with different service delivery models, including an expanded “books-by-mail” program with over 5,500 items mailed directly to library patrons, a service that we will continue to refine for the future. Extending due dates for library materials until further notice. Patrons don’t have to worry about returning items or late fees. We encourage you to hold on to your materials for now, but if you’d like to return them, please place them in the library’s book drop. Transitioning our Homework Help & Tutoring Program from in-person to online, providing approximately 4,000 virtual tutoring sessions to K-12 students from certified teachers, which will continue in the summer beginning June 13. Visit mdpls.org/tutor for more information. Reaching residents in new ways by providing virtual storytimes and programs such as STEAM, meditation and book talks, which will continue to be available on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages and YouTube channel. Supporting Miami-Dade County’s COVID-19 response to help residents in need of obtaining economic assistance. Since April 8, we have distributed more than 115,000 state Reemployment Assistance applications and more than 21,000 Department of Children and Families Food (SNAP), Medical (Medicaid) and Temporary Cash (TANF) Assistance applications at our libraries to residents and will continue to do so. With the reopening of our libraries, residents will now also be able to use library computers and Wi-Fi to access these and other assistance programs, as well as complete the 2020 Census online, pick up Vote-by-Mail Ballot request forms and copies of the County’s 2020 Hurricane Guide, and more. By now, I think we all understand that keeping each other safe is a shared responsibility. The entry requirements and other safety measures in our reopening plan will take time for all of us to get used to.  Although we are open, we do encourage you to continue using the options mentioned above for express pickup of library materials at your preferred library location or by continuing to use our eContent to help us maintain social distancing and occupancy limits during this phase of our reopening. We’re glad to have you back in our libraries and look forward to continuing to provide access to essential information and services for everyone in our community. If you have any questions or need assistance, please email us at customercare@mdpls.org or contact any library location. Sincerely,

Ray Baker, DirectorMiami-Dade Public Library System