COVID-19/Pandemic Reopening

Most York County Libraries’ locations will open for curbside service on Monday, June 15. Members place the books they want on hold and the library notifies them when the items are ready for pickup.

Not initially. We will open for shorter periods of time to allow for proper cleaning, quarantining of returned materials, processing of holds, and social distancing measures for both the staff and the public. Hours are subject to change, so the best place to find the current hours are right here at open.yorklibraries.org.

No. We will gradually add services in phases following the directives and regulations of the Office of Commonwealth Libraries, the Governor, the Pennsylvania Health Department and CDC.

Curbside pickup is available to all York County Libraries cardholders starting June 15.

• On the YCL website, use your account to place a hold on the library books or audiobooks that you would like to borrow. Be sure to select the library location where you would like to pick the items up.
• The library will notify you when your items are ready for pickup.
• Follow your library’s instructions for curbside pickup.

Yes. We are supplying library staff with masks to wear for your safety. We request that you wear a mask for their safety.

It is hard to say. We are working through and following the guidelines and directives presented in A Framework for Reopening Libraries. It is a very thorough roadmap for reintroducing library services that was developed by our governing agency, the Office of Commonwealth Libraries. The health and safety of our staff and members is our top priority, so we will be moving forward with care and precautionary measures.

Thank you for holding onto them while we were closed! You can return the items in library book drops beginning Monday, June 15. For your convenience, anything you checked out prior to our closing is checked out until July 1.

The Institute for Museum and Library Services and the Northeast Document Conservation Center recommend quarantining returned books prior to loaning them to other members. We are quarantining books for 72 hours after their return. If you would like additional assurance, you can quarantine them at home prior to your use.

All returned library materials are quarantined for 72 hours before library staff check them in.

During this initial reopening phase with limited hours and reduced staffing levels, we are unable to accommodate same day requests. However, we are happy to get it for you. Please place a hold and we will notify you when it is ready for pick up.

DVDs are a high touch item and require a rental fee. As part of our current health and safety measures during phase one of reopening, our staff is not handling money and payments onsite.

Yes, we have adjusted our system so that members with fines can borrow materials during these challenging times.

Yes, your holds are in place for when the books become available. You will be notified when they are ready.

Your library will notify you when your items are ready for pickup using the notification method you selected.

Unfortunately, we won’t be able to do last minute additions to your order when you arrive at the library. Your holds will be packaged for you to grab and go. We are keeping everything low touch for the safety of all. However, be sure to place those books on hold in our online catalog, and we will contact you when they are ready. We’ll look forward to seeing you again!

We have temporarily increased the loan period from three to four weeks to assure that you have ample time to enjoy your books.

You will be able to enter the library and browse selected areas and collections of the library. Occupancy limits will be in place, so kindly limit your browsing time so that others may have a turn.

We are not accepting book donations at our library locations during the early phases of reopening. We are focusing on getting our core services back up and running. We will certainly announce when we are ready for donations again in the future.

We usually draw some big crowds to our book sales, so we will not be holding any in the immediate future. It is a shame, as many members love supporting their libraries by shopping the sales.

During this time, our Friends’ fundraisers at several libraries have been canceled or postponed. Please help make up for this disastrous drop in income. Our work continues and will be needed long after this crisis is behind us. A gift of any size can make a difference. Please consider helping today at donate.yorklibraries.org.

We are not holding any in-library programs initially. For everyone’s health and safety, we are providing a variety of library programs online, including book discussions and our popular SummerQuest program for kids.

View our events calendar to attend a virtual program.

SummerQuest officially starts on Saturday, May 30. This year’s program is totally online and packed with fun activities for children and teens.

We are currently offering digital story times for children every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Baby/Toddler story times are held on Tuesdays (starting June 2). We will restart story time programs at the library when it is safe to do so.

Coming Soon: Call your library and ask about their special book bundles for kids. They can get some ready based on your children’s ages and interests.