The health and well-being of our patrons and staff at Ponca Carnegie Library is our top priority. Due to the increase of COVID-19 cases in our area; we have decided to suspend our curbside service effective immediately.

Please know we are still here for you and will be available via phone or e-mail to assist you with OverDrive where you will have access to thousands of books, audio books, magazines and more. Stay active both mentally and physically and stay at home. We will get through this.

Parents of children ages birth to five years old: Don’t forget to sign up for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. The registration link is on our library website and our Facebook Page. Your child will receive a free book every month until their 5^th birthday.  If you are already receiving books, please drop us an e-mail telling us how the books have made a positive difference in your family.

For yourself and the historians.

Here is an excerpt from the article: As people across the country are told to work from home and practice social distancing, historians recommend a simple practice to fend off boredom and contribute to the history books: daily journaling.

Written accounts of events, especially during times of turmoil, have proven crucial to historians as they seek to grasp a full picture of a time period. And during the current pandemic, physical documentation from ordinary people is as important as ever.

“As historians, we rely on those daily reports to figure out what actually happened on the ground,” said Victoria Cain, an associate professor of history at Northeastern University. “It really offers us insight into how society and culture worked at a time of tragedy, or crisis, or just chaos.” You can read the full article at: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/03/22/metro/journaling-during-pandemic-yourself-historians/

Ponca Library would love to share some of your journaling entries. You can submit them to the library via e-mail at librarian@cityofponca.org.

We would also love to hear from Ponca students and how they feel about finishing the school year at home.

Ponca Carnegie Library partnered with United way of Siouxland to provide access to all Ponca area children under the age of 5 to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

We encourage all parents to register their child(ren) for this wonderful program. Encouraging your child(ren) to read is the greatest gift you could ever bestow on one you love.

From the United Way of Siouxland Website:

As simple as it sounds, reading regularly with your child(ren) during their preschool years gives them the biggest boost toward a successful education they will ever get. Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library will help you read with your child. This United Way of Siouxland funded initiative works to make sure children in Siouxland have books of their own. Each month a new, carefully selected book will be mailed in your child’s name directly to your home. He/she can look forward to new and exciting reading adventures until he/she turns five years old as long as you remain a resident of Siouxland.

Register your child HERE.

Just like you, we are closely monitoring new developments regarding COVID-19 (coronavirus). The health and safety of our patrons and community members is of the utmost importance to us.  I wanted to take a few minutes to let you know that we take our responsibility seriously.

We are committed to doing everything we can do to make you feel confident and safe when visiting Ponca Carnegie Library.  Therefore, we have implemented several new or enhanced policies and procedures which follow recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), DHHS as well as the National Association of Theater Owners (NATO).

What we are doing differently:

• Increased daily communication with our librarian and other staff to reinforce our sanitation and safety procedures.
• We are sanitizing all high-traffic areas at an increased frequency and with greater attention to public touch points including door handles, computer keyboards and all hard surfaces.
• We are taking extra time to wipe down armrests and seat backs at our computer stations.
• Increased training regarding hygiene and hand washing to staff AND patrons.

We want you to have confidence that we are working hard to provide a clean and safe facility. Out of consideration for all of our patrons, we respectfully ask if you are not feeling well, please stay home and visit us again when you feel better.

We will continue to monitor our operations and update as necessary.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you at the library!

Sincerely,

Melissa Kebaili, Library Director