March 13, 2020

Dear Friends,

We are living through an unprecedented shared experience as our worldwide community grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic. Historically it is at such times that libraries have stood steadfast and shown their merit. Now is no different.

I am writing to you today to ensure that you have the best available information from the Montana State Library and the State of Montana. The response to the COVID-19 outbreak is changing rapidly and we endeavor to keep you as informed as possible.

Yesterday Governor Bullock declared a state of emergency in Montana and the State launched an official website, http://covid19.mt.gov.  Please refer to this site for the most up-to-date information. I also encourage you to remain in close communication with your local health and governing officials to support and understand local decisions that may affect your individual libraries.

Public inquiries from your patrons about the virus may be directed to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services at: covid19info@mt.gov.   

As you know our fantastic State Library staff are extremely adept at working remotely. Though we are putting in place contingencies for the slim possibility that the physical State Library building may be closed for a period of time, we believe the majority of our services will continue uninterrupted. Please continue to lean on the State Library for your service needs.

For Montana Shared Catalog libraries, please know that staff are ready to assist you to adjust closed dates and due dates for the library and checked out items, and other things of that nature, to post informational notices on Enterprise Online Catalog, to assist staff who may have work they can do from home and to adjust sharing group settings if necessary, to minimize disruptions and overloads.

Excellent information is available from a variety of sources about safe materials handling and programming options. For more information see:

We should also be mindful of the impact of COVID-19 on our partners around the state. The Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education has directed campuses to hold classes online though campus libraries are to remain open. We may also see schools closed around the State.

While our communities undertake these necessary precautions, I hope you will join me in reimagining what our services might look like in an online environment. News about COVID-19 makes many of us anxious and quarantines can lead to very real social isolation which affects all of us. How can we plan proactively to address these issues? We know it’s our role to provide reliable, accurate information for our communities. We also have a wealth of online resources available to us from MontanaLibrary2GO to the Montana Memory Project. Can we hold virtual programs, book clubs, and storytimes? What about home delivery of library materials? What else? I hope you will join State Library staff in a webside chat on Monday, March 16 at noon to discuss this topic further. More information is available online at: https://mslservices.mt.gov/aspen/events/Event_Detail.aspx?Event_ID=16535.   

Now, as always, we lead by example in our work to build and support our communities, in good times and bad. In conclusion I want to share this video that was forwarded to me by the Hawaii State Librarian from her spiritual and leadership mentor. In it, the New Zealand Prime Minister interviews health officials about the virus. It is both informative and calming. https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/politics/2020/03/watch-health-experts-join-jacinda-ardern-to-dispel-some-coronavirus-covid-19-myths.html 

Sincerely,

Jennie Stapp