Library Outlines Reopening Plans
The St. Mary’s County Library has announced its Phase 1 reopening plans. The book drops at all three library locations — Charlotte Hall, Leonardtown, and Lexington Park — will be opened to receive checked out materials Wednesday, June 17. All three locations will start curbside pickup of reserved materials on Monday, June 22.
Please note that the Leonardtown Library has moved to the new building located at 23630 Hayden Farm Lane in Leonardtown, next to Walter Francis Duke Elementary School. The old building located on Hollywood Road is no longer a library and will not be accepting book returns or offering any library services. We hope to celebrate the opening of the new Leonardtown Library on a future date.
Book drops
All currently checked out items have had the checkout period extended until August 1. Book drops at all three library locations will be opened June 17. However, there is no rush to return your items before August 1. Please feel free to keep your items until August 1 if you would like to. All returned items will be quarantined for three days and will not be checked in immediately. Once you have returned an item, please wait at least three days before making sure it has been cleared from your account.
Curbside
Beginning June 22, curbside pickup hours of operation will be Monday through Thursday 1 pm to 6 pm, and Friday and Saturday noon to 5 pm. There will be no Sunday hours for this first phase of opening. Customers may reserve materials online through the library website at this time, and will be able to call the library to place holds beginning June 22. Customers will be notified via email (or the preferred contact method set in the customer’s library account) when their items are ready to be picked up.
Once notified that holds are available for pickup, customers will use our online scheduler to schedule a time to pick them up. Instructions for using the online scheduler will be available on www.stmalib.org. Customers are also welcome to call the library to check on holds and schedule a time to pick up items if they do not have the ability to use the online scheduler.
Pickup at new Leonardtown Library will be at the drive-through window on the side of the building. Please park in designated spots at Charlotte Hall Library and Lexington Park Library for curbside service. Please wear a mask and do not leave your vehicle when you come to pick up your items. Library staff will be wearing personal protective equipment and practicing social distancing during curbside transactions.
They prefer to place your items in vehicle trunks or through windows at which no one is seated. Please do not return items to staff. Use the book drops to return all items. Customers are encouraged to check their accounts to see what items are on hold online in your account. If you still want your requested items, we will notify you when they come in and are ready for pick up. However, if you no longer want items that are on hold, please either remove the holds or call the library to receive assistance.
Phone and Chat Service
St. Mary’s County Library staff will be available via phone and online chat starting June 22. Hours of operation will be Monday through Thursday 1 pm to 6 pm and Friday and Saturday noon to 5 pm. There will be no Sunday hours for this first phase of opening. Staff will be able to assist with information requests such as account questions, suggesting titles, homework and research help, online resources and downloadable content help, and logging summer reading challenges. Instructions on how to use the chat service will be available on the library website.
Summer Reading
The Summer Reading program, designed for all ages from babies to adults, will begin Monday, June 8. Find the challenges and more information about the Summer Reading program on www.stmalib.org. Summer Reading will be on the Beanstack platform used the past several years. The Beanstack app is available on both Android and IOS, or can be used via https://stmalib.beanstack.com/. If you do not have access to Beanstack, you can call 301-475-2846 starting June 22 to report your completed challenges.
By completing your first challenge, you will receive a glow-in-the-dark t-shirt with the 2020 theme “Imagine Your Story.” T-shirts will be picked up curbside and the process for scheduling a pickup time will be similar to picking up materials. Earn tickets to enter into prize drawings of your choice by completing challenges. All programming and events will be virtual this summer.
Safety First
The library is not accepting in-person payment of any long-term fines (materials currently being returned will not have fines). Fines may be paid online (log into your library account), by check (made out to St. Mary’s County Library, include the library card number on the check, and mail to 23260 Hayden Farm Lane, Leonardtown, MD 20650), or via credit card over the phone.
The Friends of the St. Mary’s County Library and the library are not able to accept physical donations (books, DVDs, audiobooks, etc.) at this time.
All library materials, once returned, will be quarantined for 72 hours to ensure that any potential for contamination is removed, following best practices recommended by the State Library Resource Center.
After the state and county loosen some guidelines on physical distancing and “safer at home,” the library buildings will be open for in-person visits.
To learn more about Lexington Park, visit the St. Mary’s County Community Development Corporation’s Leader member page.
St. Mary’s County Community Development Corporation
46940 South Shangri-La Drive, Suite 7
Lexington Park, MD 20653
301-863-7700
