Library helps connect far-flung families during pandemic

By Lucy Maulsby

Cathy Moritz reads over Zoom to her great-niece and great-nephew in California.

The Covid-19 pandemic has pushed all of us to imagine new ways of doing familiar things, including connecting with friends and family when being together in person is not possible. The Lincoln Public Library has been supporting the community in this effort in a number of novel ways that have stretched well beyond the boundaries of Lincoln to Alabama, California, and even Greece.

Since the start of the pandemic, the librarians have been helping Lincoln residents who are reading virtually to younger family members over Zoom. During the summer months before books were circulating, they recommended books and provided support in setting up and using digital delivery services like Hoopla.

Ruth Ann Hendrickson, for example, is reading to her grandchildren, the youngest of which is 9, in Alabama nearly every day. Earlier in the school year, her grandchildren, no longer as busy with after-school activities and then summer, had time for reading sessions, but their enthusiasm for a good story quickly exhausted her supply of books. Their recent favorites have included R.A. Spratt’s Adventures of Nanny Piggins, Robert McCloskey’s Homer Price, and Ann McCaffery’s Dragon Song.

“I’m enjoying it even more than they are, and they’re loving it!” Hendrickson said.

Cathy Moritz likewise started reading to her great-niece Sylvia and great-nephew Homer, ages 7 and 4, in California last spring shortly after schools closed, when she realized that regular visits would not be possible and that their parents, one of whom works very long hours, needed support. Their appetite for picture books has meant very regular trips to collect books in recent months — sometimes as many as three bags at a time from the library. Children’s librarian Denise Shaver has been especially instrumental in selecting books, focusing on the stories and subjects that interest the children and using those as a bridge to new material.

Even though her young relatives are often busy drawing, sewing, or playing quietly as she reads, Moritz said she’s always “surprised by the intensity with which they listen.” The time she spends reading to Sylvia and Homer has created informal opportunities for conversation, bringing them closer together in a way that might not have been otherwise possible.

In a different vein, Lincoln resident and former library trustee Jenifer Burckett-Picker connected the daughter of a family friend, who was born in Boston and now lives in Greece, with the Lincoln library after their plans to travel Lincoln this summer were canceled as a result of Covid-19 travel restrictions. Erietta, nearly 7, participated in many of the library’s virtual summer programs, including story time, science programs, and virtual trivia. “She had a lot of fun while at the same time staying connected and enhancing her relations with the U.S.,” her mother Maria Kechri wrote. “The creativity and hard work of the people at the Lincoln Library helped to create an ‘open window’ to the world.”

“It’s been really special for us to help patrons during this isolating time in the small way we can — with books,” said Children’s Librarian Debbie Leopold. Indeed, although overall book circulation slowed dramatically after the closure of the library in March, the circulation of children’s books — driven in part by the new ways in which libraries are being used — is now about twice what it was a year ago, with over 4,500 books circulating per month.

As the holiday season approaches, the children’s librarians are putting together winter and holiday Book Bundles, which can be tailored to the interests of young readers, and encourage families to use books as a way to connect with loved ones near and far.