In keeping with Governor Hogan’s directive that libraries, schools, and non-essential businesses remain closed and that everyone practice social distancing, both the Easton and St. Michaels branches of the Talbot County Free Library will remain closed until further notice.
This does not mean that the library itself is closed. A multitude of library services are now available online. To see a list of these services, the library asks that you visit www.tcfl.org, click on the “Find” tab in the upper right hand corner of the library’s homepage, and then click on eResources in the drop-down menu that appears. To use these eResources, you will need to have a library card. If you don’t already have one, you can get a temporary library card by going to the library’s homepage (www.tcfl.org), clicking on the “Find” tab in the upper right hand corner of the page, clicking on “Get a Library Card” in the drop-down menu that appears, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page that appears to the paragraph headed “Online Card Registration.”
Students and their families who are now schooling at home will find a wealth of online learning opportunities in the library’s eResources, everything from online tutoring to learning a foreign language to actual coursework.
You can also find a number of services available for children by clicking on the “Creative Fun for Kids at Home” image on the right hand side of the library’s homepage, or you can scroll down to the bottom left side of the homepage for links to even more resources for parents and children.
In addition, library staff continue to work from home: answering all manner of research questions submitted to the library’s “Contact Us” page (found under the homepage’s “About” tab), preparing live Facebook Story Time programs for children and families at home, sending out important community information eBlasts to the citizens of Talbot County, developing our Virtual Library offerings, and working hard to keep the machinery of a cutting-edge library system functioning for one and all.
Library Director Dana Newman said, “The Talbot County Free Library has always been our community’s source of information, forum, and place of refuge all rolled into one. At this time, when up-to-the-minute information is crucial to our community’s ability to navigate the COVID-19 crisis, the Board and staff of the Talbot County Free Library are committed to doing everything in our power to keep our community informed, secure, and healthy. During the enforced closure of the library’s building, library staff members continue to work hard developing virtual programming for the people we serve, as well as plans and programs that can be (and will be) implemented the moment the library reopens.”
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