COVID-19 Book Exchange Day a Bright Spot

The circumstances that called for the creative plan — a COVID-19 shut down — were not desirable. But the interest in checking out books by students in all three school divisions was a fun project for a librarian.

“I was here till midnight pulling books last night, and it made me happy!” said Eastern Mennonite School librarian Julianne Ross on the pick up day, April 22, 2020.

Ross had invited students — and families — to look at the school library‘s online catalog and list the books they wanted to pick up on a Google doc. She pulled and bagged the titles and had them ready for students to pick up at a safe distance at the appointed time in front of the school.

More than 60 students requested books, and some took as many as 20 titles. Especially fun, said Ross, was filling the requests for “surprise” books based on student interests.

Returned books that had been checked out on the day students gathered items to prepare for distance learning were returned to a box to sit for at least 72 hours before being re-shelved.

“Thank you so much!” exclaimed one parent on Facebook when the exchange was announced. “The girls are excited for a new round of books.”

A second library exchange day is tentatively set for May 13.