Bethlehem Library Notes for Thursday, June 4, 2020

If you drive by Bethlehem Public Library these days, you may see a little more activity than in recent weeks. As the Capital Region slowly eases into reopening, we are finalizing our no-contact curbside pickup procedures — an important first step in our phased reopening plan. We’ll begin testing this process out on those who have existing holds from March, so we can fine-tune it for efficiency and safety.

With other libraries in the Upper Hudson system operating on their own phased reopening schedules, we may not have access to all of the materials outside of our collection right away. Please keep that in mind when looking for items to place on hold, as we work with our partner libraries to do our best to fill your requests.

At this time, we are also preparing to receive all of those books, movies and other items you have been waiting to return since we closed our doors. Because we expect the volume of the returned materials to exceed our current capacity, we are setting up some temporary drop-off areas that will allow us to keep the returned items untouched for 72 hours before processing. Just a reminder: Checked out materials have had their due dates extended while we have been closed and have not been accruing fines.

Look for these changes in the coming days. We are excited to finally add these in-person services to the library’s digital materials and programs that have been available throughout the Coronavirus shutdown.

Budget and trustees vote on June 9

The library budget and board of trustees vote will be held Tuesday, June 9. It will take place entirely by absentee ballot, which is being mailed to households in the Bethlehem Central School District. 

For the 2020-21 fiscal year, the library has a proposed budget of $4.48 million. The levy portion of the budget comes in at about $4.2 million, an increase of 2.64 percent over last year and within the state-mandated spending cap. 

Also on the ballot this year are two trustee seats. The six candidates for trustee — Marc Gronich, Kristi Narang, Mary Phillips, Lisa Scoons (incumbent), Ryan Venter and Charmaine Wijeyesinghe – had an opportunity to introduce themselves recently and talk a little bit about why they are running at our virtual Meet the Candidates Night. You can watch a recording of the event on our YouTube channel.

You can also watch the recording, read candidates’ answers to a voluntary questionnaire and view a breakdown of the library’s proposed 2020-21 budget on our election webpage: www.bethlehempubliclibrary.org/about-us/board-of-trustees/2020-election-and-budget-vote.

Teens in the kitchen

Teens who are usually busy with homework, sports, volunteering and other after-school activities can channel that energy into picking up some kitchen-savvy skills. On Friday, June 5, at 4 p.m., we’re hosting a Time-Saving Meals for Teens Zoom event with Hannaford Dietitian Patty Wukitsch, who will share some tips and tricks for teens in the kitchen. Sign up here: bit.ly/3draV0p. The library will e-mail an invitation to the webinar the day of the event. The program will be recorded and posted to our YouTube channel to watch later.