Mid-Columbia Libraries Extends Due Dates, Offers Increased Digital Collection and Resources

Mid-Columbia Libraries (MCL) has extended due dates on physical materials and other time-sensitive account services as well as augmented its digital collection and curated online resources for families. MCL closed its 12 branches and Bookmobile from March 17 through April 24 to help mitigate the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

“We continue to support and serve customers in a variety of ways,” says Kyle Cox, executive director and chief librarian. “We want to reassure customers even though they cannot physically visit their library right now, their accounts are safe and, for those who can access us digitally, we have many great resources to keep you engaged, reading, and learning. This is not a permanent state: we are actively investigating ways to expand access to our library in a way that is responsible to customers and staff, and responsive to the demands of this pandemic.”

Due dates on physical materials have been extended to April 27. Customers will not be charged fees for lost items before that date. All external drop boxes are closed; customers are strongly encouraged not to leave materials in drop boxes. Any requested items held will remain on hold through April 27. And, all recently expired and soon to expire library cards have been extended to May 1.

MCL has increased purchases for its digital collection to keep up with demand, including adding more than 4,000 always available titles. Thousands of eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines and more are at midcolumbialibraries.org/ebooks.
Cardholders can stream movies, TV shows, world cinema, and much more through Kanopy. MCL will soon temporarily increase the credit limit in Kanopy from five to 10 per month for the duration of the closure period. Parents and children can also enjoy unlimited access to high-quality kids content through Kanopy Kids. More information is at midcolumbialibraries.org/streaming-video.

MCL has compiled a list of online resources to support families with children home from school. These include the children's digital collection, resources in Spanish, world learning databases, and much more. More information is available at midcolumbialibraries.org/family-resources.