Public Health Policy

Philosophy

If there is a serious infectious disease outbreak, the library must plan for various contingencies, including but not limited to:

Staff being unable to report to work
The need to take measures to help slow the spread of the illness including closing down by order of local public health officials
Public health measures which may include limiting or canceling public gatherings, requiring quarantines and/or other social distancing measures
Maintaining the core business activities of the library for several weeks in the case of limited staff and/or closure

Overall City Policy

The Sidney Public Library policy is a supplement to city policies and procedures. It is meant to address concerns for library operations, employees, and patrons.

Employee and Patron Responsibilities

Anyone in the library is expected to use proper hygiene which includes covering the mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, avoiding touching of the eyes, nose and mouth, and frequent hand washing.

Even if an employee has not been diagnosed with a communicable disease, employees should not report to work if ill. Likewise, undiagnosed, but sick, patrons should stay away from public places, including the library.

Each individual has a responsibility to prevent the spread of communicable diseases when they are aware or suspect that they are or could be a carrier of a communicable disease. If an employee or patron who has been in the library has been diagnosed with a communicable disease, it is their responsibility to report this to the Library Director.

Employee Duties

Cleaning practices that help prevent the spread of disease are always in place at the library. This includes but is not limited to daily cleaning and disinfection of frequently touched surfaces and items.

If an employee has been exposed to the virus or has been around someone else that has been exposed, the employee must inform the director and plan to quarantine for a minimum of 10 days. Alternatively, the employee may return to work after receiving a negative test result on a test taken at least 5 days after exposure.

Library Operations Reductions and Cancellations

The Library Director or Board of Trustees may elect to limit or cancel library operations or activities. When making such a decision, local public health officials, city officials, the presence or absence of illness in the library, and the availability of library staffing will affect such a decision. Such a decision may impact:

Library hours. Open hours may be cut or the library may be closed.
Library events. Events may be cancelled or rescheduled for a later date.
Community room activities. These are non-library events scheduled in the library's community room. These events may be cancelled.

Ongoing Administration

Every attempt will be made to maintain ongoing operations for the public. In the event of a library closure, the Library Director will work from home to continue necessary ongoing administrative tasks including, but not limited to mail pickup if possible, making sure bills are paid, board reporting, payroll, cataloging, and general correspondence.

Communication

The library will comply with all applicable statutes and regulations that protect the privacy of persons who have a communicable disease. Every effort will be made to ensure procedurally sufficient safeguards to maintain the personal confidence about persons who have communicable diseases.

Privacy

Adopted: March 2020

Revised: February 2021