Rochester — CSEA City of Rochester Library Workers Unit President Margaret Chatterton is glad to be back on the job. Chatterton is a Library Clerk at the Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County and has been a city employee since 1998. All photos by Ove Overmyer, CSEA ©2020.
WNY — It’s the news many library workers from Western New York were waiting to hear. A call finally came the last week of July that informed most CSEA represented employees of the Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County and it’s ten branches that they will be able to report to their worksites after months of remote telecommuting from home.
It was announced last May that approximately 200 city library employees would be furloughed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. CSEA library workers in Buffalo and Rochester now report they are happy to be back at work and are approaching each day with cautious optimism.
At the Central Library of Buffalo and Erie County and all its branch libraries, CSEA members returned to work June 3 after ten weeks of buildings being closed to patrons and staff.
On August 10, much to the delight of library lovers in Monroe County, all branch libraries in the City of Rochester opened to the public with limited services. Hours of operation have been reduced and there is no in-person library events or programs. And, unfortunately for many library users at the Central Library in downtown Rochester, having access to a computer workstation is still on hold for the time being.
“We probably won’t be able to provide computer access until the end of August or early September,” said CSEA Unit President Margaret Chatterton. “That’s when our attendance numbers will probably pick up once again. Right now, all we are trying to accomplish is to continue to provide great library services under the safest possible circumstances—for patrons and staff alike.”
Chatterton, a Library Clerk who started her employment in with the City of Rochester in 1998, says library patrons who have visited over the past two days have plenty of questions about job information services and many were accessing copiers, business and fax machines at the library.
She said, “It was obvious to me many of our residents had no access to these services when we were closed. I’m very happy to see everyone have the opportunity to now be able to get their personal business back in order.”
Before entering any city library in Rochester, everyone is required to wear a mask, sanitize their hands, and submit to a temperature check and receive a health screening questionnaire.
Each location has been physically reconfigured to help visitors and staff maintain proper social distancing guidelines, which will be enforced by library security. Hours and services at all branch libraries will be evaluated regularly and may change on short notice.
Rochester — Daniel Pine, a Library Clerk at the Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County, processes library materials for circulation.
Buffalo library staff meeting challenges of the day
At the start of the reopening of the Buffalo libraries, several of the city branches offered a variety of pickup and curbside services. With a library card, patrons were able to call a library ahead of time to reserve and pick up library materials near a dedicated door, including books, DVDs, CDs and audiobooks.
All of the Buffalo libraries have been following strict entrance requirements, social distancing specifications and cleaning measures for all employees, while patrons are required to wear a mask or face covering upon entrance to the building.
At the Buffalo libraries, all returned materials are being quarantined for a minimum of 72 hours before being placed back on shelves, and all library staff and patrons will be required to wear a face covering.
CSEA member Denise Sweet, a Library Clerk at the Buffalo Central Library, says staff shortages and new cleaning protocols have presented new challenges for herself and her co-workers.
“We have to be a jack of all trades so to speak,” said Sweet. She added, “No matter your job title, we are all doing what is necessary to get us through the day– whether it’s librarian reference work, cleaning high traffic areas with disinfectant or sorting and restocking library materials. It’s really an all hands-on deck scenario right now to keep our libraries operating in the best possible manner. Although we are facing some new challenges because of the pandemic, I’m still very proud of the results. The fact remains we are still making library services happen for the residents we serve.”
-Ove Overmyer
