Your safety is important to us. So is your access to materials.

Please read, share, and follow this newest set of guidelines provided to us by our Library Board based on recommendations from the CDC, Governor, and American Library Association.

Meinders Community Library will continue to provide physical materials and necessary services to the best of our ability in the upcoming weeks and months. That said, your safety and the safety of our staff is paramount. By working together and following ever-evolving procedures, we can minimize contact.

As difficult as this is, we appreciate your cooperation.

Until further notice, the library will operate within the following parameters Monday through Friday between the hours of 11am and 6pm. We will not be open on Saturdays.

• Check in and check out of physical items will continue!
  • Place your Meinders Library items on hold in one of these three ways:
    • Through the online catalog by clicking on the Plum Creek Library System icon on the right, top sidebar or by clicking here
    • By calling library staff at (507) 825-6714
    • Or emailing the library at meinders@pas.k12.mn.us
    • No social media or facebook requests will be filled.
  • At the time your hold is confirmed, we will provide you with pick up instructions.
• All items must be returned in the outside drop box or media slot to the left of the door. If you have large items to return, please call ahead to make arrangements for drop off.
• No in-house use or browsing will be allowed with the following exceptions:
  • Necessary computer use and printing by appointment only.
  • STEAM Room use for student projects by appointment only.
  • Reservations for the computer lab for Social Service or School meetings of less than 8 individuals may be granted on a case by case basis. The individuals requesting room use must sanitize the space when each session is complete.
• Library doors will remain locked.

Please refer to our digital platforms to check out e-books and audio books. You can find information on our Quick Links tab at the top. Also, you can call if you need help trouble shooting.

Remember to wash your hands and stay safe~ jody

Beginning Wednesday, March 18, the library will operate on shortened hours.

Until further notice, we will be open from 11am-6pm Monday-Friday with no Saturday service.

All programming is suspended through April 15.

Public use of meeting rooms will be discontinued for any group regardless of size.

Magazines and newspapers will be unavailable for in-house use.

Toys have been removed from the children’s section.

If you are unwell, please follow CDC guidelines and stay home. 

Services we will continue to provide.

• Free Drive By Wi-Fi! Seriously, sitting in your car outside the library can net you free, no-contact wi-fi.
• Basic Check In and Check Outs. Please return your materials to the outdoor drop box. We have the big box for books and the media drop box on the door for your DVDs and CDs.
• Fine Free Returns. We simply ask that you return your items as soon as you safely can. Extended checkouts are available if needed.
• Digital Platforms for Electronic Checkouts. Visit our Quick Links page to see what we have available. If you have any questions, please call or email us. You can find our contact information on the contact tab at the top of the page.
• Prenda Code Club. Keep your students busy during this downtime and ignite a passion for coding through https://app.prendacodeclub.com. With Prenda, it’s easy to teach our future coders the basics of creating apps and designing computer games.
• Questionnaire Assistance Center for the Census. We will continue to answer questions you may have regarding information on how to fill out your census form.
• Limited In-House Computer Use. To decrease contact between patrons, we request that computer use be kept to a minimum. As we have removed several computers to maintain distance between users, we may limit use to 30 minutes.
• Faxing, Scanning, and Copying.

We will update our blog regularly, with the intent to educate and engage our community during this unique and ever-evolving time. If you have any questions, please call or email us.

To receive up-to date information, please subscribe to our blog or follow us on our other social media platforms.

wash your hands, stay safe, and keep reading~ jody

 

Despite the wind that’s whipping across the country roads, the library is open until 8:00pm. If the weather deteriorates, however, we may run on shortened hours.

Stop back on our blog, check the Kelo closeline, or follow us on Facebook to stay up to date on library closings. You can also call to double check our status before driving out.

Have a safe and warm day.

The library is open from 10am-2pm today (Friday, January 17). If roads start closing, we will close earlier. If in doubt, please call ahead.

Also, we currently have no snow removal services, so wear your boots if you don’t want snow in your shoes!

Meinders Community Library will be closed Saturday, January 18, due to blizzard warning now in place. If you still need blizzard books, check out our digital platforms as found on our quick links page.

You do not need to stop out to renew your items or return them to the drop box. Simply call or email and we can take care of that for you.

Stay safe and warm, and have a wonderful weekend!

With the upcoming holidays, please remember the change in library hours on the following days:

• December 24 closed all day for Christmas Eve
• December 25 closed all day for Christmas Day
• December 31 will close at 5:00pm for New Year’s Eve
• January 1 closed all day for New Year’s Day
• January 20 closed all day for Martin Lutheran King, Jr Day

Be good, be safe, and have fun!

Due to the inclement weather, Pipestone Area Schools are closing at 1:30 today.

Meinders Community Library will close 1/2 hour later.

If school is closed tomorrow, the library may be closed or have reduced hours. Follow our blog or Facebook to keep up to date. And if all else fails, please call before heading out here.

You still have time to pick up your reading materials before the holiday weekend.

Due to Veteran’s Day yesterday, regular Plum Creek Library delivery will arrive at Meinders Community Library on Wednesday, November 13, instead of today.

Holds should be processed and available for pick up after 1:00pm.

Friday’s delivery will occur as always.

The Pipestone County Fair is a pivotal event each summer. Beyond the animals, rides, music, and shows, the fair signals the winding down of summer. Everyone busies themselves with fitting in last minute visits to the lake or an afternoon at the water park. They have cook outs and bonfires with family and friends. All with the intention of soaking up the last rays of summer before Labor Day weekend.

For the library, the fair represents something fresh and new, as it often ushers in our week of cleaning and maintenance. This year, Meinders Library will be closed for its annual upkeep August 5th-10th. Thanks to the wonderful custodial staff at PAS, we will reopen on Monday, August 12 dust-free and with floors clean enough to eat off of.

During that time, Emily and I help facilitate a literacy training for teachers and librarians in southwestern Minnesota. It’s our time to connect with professionals, discuss books, and learn about trends in the youth publishing industry. We always come back from this refreshed and ready to start the new school year.

As avid readers ourselves, we highly recommend you stock up on books, DVDs, and STEM backpacks next week so you won’t be left without something to do.

That said, our digital platforms are never closed. You can access Overdrive, RBDigital, and ebooks MN from the comfort of your home. All you need is a device, your library card, and access to the internet. Books will not be due while we are closed, though the book drop will be checked on a regular basis.

On hold items delivered during our closure will be available Monday, August 12 at 10am.

For those planning out the rest of their summer, we will also be closed over Labor Day weekend.

Due to road construction, our parking lot is currently inaccessible. We are still open and patrons can park in the circle drive. We apologize for the inconvenience.