The Kansas City, Kansas Public Library will reopen all library buildings to the public on March 22, 2021. The public will be able to engage in most of the previous services offered by the library, though some safety restrictions will continue to be in place while COVID-19 restrictions are in place.
The Kansas City, Kan. system becomes the second regional library to reopen. It follows Johnson County, Kansas. In Missouri, both the Kansas City Library (pictured) and larger Mid-Continent Library system remain closed. Mid-Continent announced they will reopen March 32 to the public. The Kansas City, Mo. system has not announced an opening date.
The Main Library, South Branch Library, and West Wyandotte Library buildings will have open hours of 9:00 am-7:00 pm Monday-Thursday and 9:00 am-5:00 pm Friday and Saturday. Mr. & Mrs. F. L. Schlagle building will be open 9:00 am-5:00 pm Monday-Friday and every third Saturday. Turner Community Library will continue to offer curbside-only services due to the small size of its space.
Members of the public who pass a temperature scan at the entrance and wear a mask will be allowed 30 minutes to browse materials, seek assistance from staff, and use the computers. The number of individuals allowed at one time in each building will be limited and determined by the building’s capacity. Meeting rooms, study rooms, and auditoriums will remain closed at this time. The library will continue to quarantine returned items and use enhanced cleaning and sanitization on all library surfaces. The library will also not be resuming in-person programming at this time. Instead, virtual programs and curbside kits will continue to be available. Visit the library’s website at kckpl.org for more information on the reopening.
The library states that it is appreciative of the community’s support during this difficult past year and proud to have been able to continue to offer the excellent services and materials in creative new ways. The library looks forward to continuing this service with this next phase.
The library can be found online at kckpl.org.
–Metro Voice
