#94: Plan for exceptions to COVID guidelines

As libraries start letting patrons back in the building with new safety precautions, reasonable service modifications sometimes raise extra access barriers. Make sure you’re thought about how you’ll minimize those. For example, if you’ve removed all your tables and chairs to discourage people from lingering, keep one chair at the front desk to take out for people with physical limitations who might legitimately need to sit for the few minutes it takes them to look something up on a catalog. If you’ve decided not to provide in-person help at public computers and have patrons call the service desk from their cell phones for over-the-phone help, think about what you’ll do for patrons who don’t own a cell phone. If you are closing periodically for extra cleaning and you’ve added a prerecorded announcement over your PA system warning patrons, make sure you’ve recorded it in all the necessary languages, and that visual reminders alert people who are hard of hearing or Deaf.