March 2015

With Severe Weather Awareness being this week, I wanted to let you know how the Stromsburg Public Library handles severe weather emergencies. For a complete review of the handling of emergencies at the library please refer to our “Library Policies” page.

In regards to severe weather the policy reads:

Weather Emergencies

1. Tornadoes

In the event of a tornado warning for Polk County, staff will direct patrons to either evacuate the building or to take shelter in the basement. Unaccompanied children under 16 will only be released to a parent or guardian during a tornado warning. Access to the basement will remain open during the warning period.

This means if your children are at the library and the sirens begin to sound, we will not send your child out the door, they will go to the basement with staff. If you come to the library to pick up your child and the siren is sounding please go down the bathroom hallway to find the door to the basement. Your child will be there.

Please know that the safety of our patrons is our utmost concern and we want everyone aware of procedures before severe weather strikes.

We will be having a program entitled, “Eye on the Sky” April 14 with local weather spotters. Weather spotters will be sharing hints and tips of what to look for to avoid getting caught in severe weather. This is not a chance to learn storm chasing techniques or how to be a weather spotter. Again, the safety of our patrons is of utmost concern to us.

Are you concerned what books your children might find when navigating the OverDrive service by themselves? There are a couple of ways that you can handle this.

First, teach your children to enter into the “For Kids and Teens eReading Room”. This is where they will find selections specifically geared to them.

Second, you can adjust what books you see in the “Patron Account Settings” on OverDrive. In the Settings you can choose what levels of books you see offered when browsing and selecting. You may also choose to hide mature adult book covers. If you choose this option, a general book cover will be displayed for you instead.

As always, if you have any questions about using OverDrive, don’t hesitate to ask a librarian.