The Red Feather Library’s Winter (and Spring) of Your Discontent.

Creed Kidd
Library Director, Red Feather Lakes Community Library

You’re well familiar with the routine now: ten people, maximum grouping; social distancing of at least six feet; masks that would fit in comfortably with a 19th-century western outlaw convention; plexiglass barriers and foot traffic signage. Computer access by compartment, social distance, and an area thorough cleaning after each user.

Don’t touch the frequently touched areas: knobs, handles, desktops, levers, switches, pulls and lines. Wash your hands frequently for at least twenty seconds. Try not to cough or sneeze: if you’re ill, stay home. There are ubiquitous bottles of hand sanitizer with contents that are currently harder to find and ounce for ounce near as expensive as printer ink.

But we’re pleased to say that the library’s open again after shutting down mid-April. It’s been a long three months. We’re sure you’ve noticed – we certainly have.

We’re open through a Larimer County variance to the statewide ‘Safer at Home’ directive that allows the county libraries and library districts, such as us, to open under specific instructions. Not for the faint of heart, but if you’d like more detail head this direction: https://www.larimer.org/health/communicable-disease/coronavirus-covid-19/safer-at-home.

So, to meet those requirements we’ve tugged, pushed, removed, rearranged, purchased, moved, tussled, sorted, cleaned, jostled, bumped, hung, fixed, nailed, glued, and generally just put things where we could create enough open space for you to browse comfortably and then borrow as desired.

Public seating is gone. We enjoy your company but it’s to your advantage now to browse, select, and borrow without lingering. The public computer stations are gone, both adult and juvenile – no way of maintaining social distance. Or, rather transferred to the Stenzel Community Room where there’s sufficient space to permit three barriered stations for use of either your device — or ours.

Instructions are specific: no community in the Community Room – so, our once-frequent hosted groups, clubs, and meetings are scrambling to find other venues: either at homes, by Zoom or accommodation in the more spacious Community Association Building that neighbors us to the north.

Like other community neighbors, we’re weathering an underabundance of visitors; Red Feather Memorial Day festivities were canceled as were Fourth of July activities: no fishing contest, arts and crafts show, library book sale, or fireworks.

However, we see and field questions from a great many campers and fisher-people, much more than the regular year – we suspect because of the enforcement of stay-at-home rules through this past spring is like champagne – when the cork pops you have all sorts of folk frothing up to enjoy the outdoors – camping, fishing, flowers, birding, and fresh air.

We will do what we must do – not only just to follow county guidelines to avoid being shut down but in the intent of providing a necessary service in the Red Feather Mountain Community by whatever necessary means. It’s our intent to keep you safe … and educated … and entertained through all the best means of doing the job.