Rogers Free Library reopened to the public on Wednesday, June 24, at 9 a.m. Until further notice, their hours will be Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Library staff released the following statement so patrons know what to expect:

Entering the building

All patrons will enter through the front door on Hope Street. We will be counting how many people are coming in and leaving, as we have limited building capacity requirements for occupancy. This means our back door will be closed during this phase. A greeter will be at the entrance to answer questions and inform you of our temporary new look and procedures. If you require back door entrance please call ahead to 401/253-6948 and we will try to accommodate your needs.

Limited building occupancy
Our current regulations for opening to the public allow for four patrons in the Children’s Room and Reference department and five patrons on our main floor, as we have limited our browsing areas and seating.

Also, patrons can spend no more than 20 minutes in the building at a time. Please keep in mind that this is only temporary, and in the next phase, the capacity will increase.

For the safety of all, we require that you wear face coverings while in the library and maintain a proper social distance from other patrons. If you are unable to wear a face covering we will make accommodations for curbside pickup.

Curbside pickup 
We strongly encourage you to utilize this service throughout our reopening. We have extended Wednesday pickup hours into the evening for your convenience.

It might be a good idea to search for items before your visit, as our stacks are closed. The easiest way to find materials is to search the online catalog at http://catalog.oslri.net/ and limit your search to items currently available at Bristol.

Placing holds
The state’s book delivery service is not running at full capacity yet, so there will be a limit of 10 items you can put on hold from other libraries. The items you placed on hold before the library closed will count toward the 10 items, so you may need to prioritize your list.

Item returns & late fees
You may return items at any time in the outside bookdrop. All returned items will be held in quarantine for at least 24 hours before being checked in. There will be no late fees at this time.

The stacks will be closed
Even though the stacks are closed, our staff is more than happy to retrieve your items (books, magazines, movies etc.) Just ask!

Computers are not available
We regret to inform you that the copy machine and computers are not available. We hope to make them available, by appointment, in the next phase. Please contact Kristin Amaral with any questions. librarian@rogersfreelibrary.org or 401/484-8545.

Technology help is still available
For Tech Help, please call 401/484-8545. We are unable to assist patrons with technology in person, but we will continue to assist as much as we can via phone, email or chat.

Programs will continue virtually
In this phase our meeting rooms will be closed, therefore we will not have programming in the library.  We are working on developing a schedule of unique programming.

For questions, call 401-253-6948 or visit the website.