Many of us are adjusting to the new normal of life during COVID-19, practicing social distancing, working from home, or schooling from home. At San Mateo County Libraries, we are adjusting, too.
Currently, all of our library buildings are closed. Although we prefer seeing you in person—welcoming you to our transformative spaces, boundless resources, and dynamic events—we’re still here for you.
That’s why we redesigned our homepage. The new page is focused on relevant content, resources, online events, and crafts to facilitate learning, exploring, and connecting. All of it is accessible online and free to access with your library card. Here’s more information on how to navigate the webpage, and how we’re still Open for Exploration.
Events:
While our traditional, in-person events are canceled, we are excited to find and spotlight relevant online events. In the top, right corner of the webpage, you’ll notice an events column with online author visits, digital storytimes, celebrity read-alouds, and more. For instance, if a children’s author has plans to read from their short story on Facebook Live, we’ll link to it here. These events aren’t hosted by or at the Libraries and can be updated, changed, or canceled by the hosting groups with little notice. We hope you enjoy these events and we look forward to highlighting additional opportunities for you to connect with others from around the globe.
Specialized Audience Section:
We have two rows for specialized online content for both Adults as well as Kids, Teens, and Families. In this section, we will spotlight and link to relevant online content, resources, staff lists, and activities for both audiences. In the Kids, Teens, and Families section, you might find a free online resource for online homework help or early literacy. In the adult section, you might find a link to a mindfulness e-resource, an author discussion, and more.
Explore from Home:
Even when we’re confined to home, there’s a big world to explore out there and this section will help you find it! Through virtual tours, live streams, and online exhibits, this section will spotlight and link to online ways to see the world from the comfort of your home.
Catalog Carousel:
We’ve removed titles that are no longer accessible, such as our traditional collection of books, in our catalog carousel. Instead, we’ll feature e-Books, e-Audio Books, movies, and music—titles that are all online and free to access with your library card.
Coming Soon:
We’ll do our best to improve and add to this webpage. Coming soon, you’ll find some new spaces to explore here. A Staff Lists section will display recommendations from our librarians on e-Books and other digital content. We’ll also continue to add additional relevant online resources not already highlighted above.
Online Library Cards:
Even though our libraries are closed, we are still offering digital library cards, opens a new window for you to enjoy our online resources. Your temporary digital library card number is good for 90 days. Once we are back in our libraries, we will mail your card to you.
We’re looking forward to welcoming you back in person soon. In the meantime, we hope you’ll connect and explore with us through this webpage. Feel free to get in touch through email, opens a new window if you need help.
For health and hygiene tips, reliable news sources, and library news regarding the Coronavirus, read our recent blog, opens a new window.
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