When Patricia and I locked up the William Bradford Huie Library March 13, we never dreamed we would not be welcoming patrons back until June. Although we have made the most of the time the library was closed to the public, we have missed our patrons. One patron exclaimed when she walked in, “I am so happy to be here!” and we are happy to see our patrons, too!   

We are doing a “soft opening” with limited hours, fewer computers and no group programming.  Temporarily, our LEGOs, stuffed animals and children’s computers will not be available. We will still be offering and encouraging curbside service for those who are interested or in a high risk category. We encourage patrons to bring their own masks and respect social distancing guidelines. Please call the library or check the City of Hartselle – Local Government Facebook or the Huie Library League Facebook  for updates. 

For our patrons’ and staff members’ safety, all returned materials will be quarantined for at least 48 hours. Because of this, wait times might be a little longer.  

Since we do not know how long it will be before we can have large group programming, our Summer Reading Program is going to  be a little different. Our goal is, as always, to prevent summer slide in our kids’ skills – especially this year, since children will be out of a classroom setting for longer than normal. We have put together grab-n-go kits available for checkout starting, each of which will have one to three books and an activity to go along with the books.  We will also have Book Bingo for adults, teens and kids again this year.   

We hope you have remained safe and healthy during this difficult time. We look forward to seeing you soon. Happy reading!