Update 3/30/2022 Masks recommended, per CDC guidelines. CDC Waldo County community transmission level. CDC Waldo County Community Risk Level Maine county mask-wearing threshold graphs at the Bangor Daily News. We are monitoring the situation and will follow state and federal CDC mask recommendations. Our building is open to visitors, 30 minute computer limit. All the details about library services are on the COVID-19 page. Curbside is always available! Details are on the Pickup page. Please help keep our community safe. Thank you for your patience and cooperation. Covid.gov for vaccines, tests, masks, and medication: covid.gov
Carver announcements related to COVID-19
As of 2023, masking is optional. Masks are available at the back door and front desk. We suggest that you mask or stay home if you feel sick to prevent the spread of flu, RSV, covid, and other respiratory infections. Staff are happy to mask and/or distance with you upon request.
Curbside Pickup: For those who don't want to come into the library building, curbside will be available. Request your items ahead of time through the catalog, by email ([email protected]), or over the phone, and call us when you get here and we will bring them out to you. Your items will be checked out to you and ready to go. Details are on the Pickup page.
Community Vaccination Line: 1-888-445-4111 Mon-Fri, 7am to 7pm; Sat-Sun, 8am-2pm For Mainers who have no computer and/or find it difficult to register online. The vaccination line does not provide faster access to appointments. For translation services, call the number and state your desired language (for example: "Spanish"). Deaf and hard of hearing individuals may dial 711 and asked to be connected.
Transportation to Vaccine Sites Maine DHHS is offering free rides for people to their vaccine appointments. Transportation is available for vaccination appointments that are scheduled Monday through Saturday from 7 am - 4 pm. Those who need a ride should call (855) 608-5172 and be ready to state the date and time of their appointment and the name, address and phone number of the facility where they will receive the vaccination.
Individuals must have a vaccination appointment before requesting a ride and must request a ride at least 48 hours in advance of their appointment. Rides may be shared; face masks will be required.
MaineCare members who already use a Non-Emergency Transportation broker to arrange rides to their MaineCare-covered services should call that same broker for rides to vaccination clinics. This program is for MaineCare members who are ineligible for Non-Emergency Transportation as well as any other Maine resident who does not have access to reliable transportation to get to their vaccination appointment. More information (.pdf).
Past Updates Update 12/13/21 Masks on for all, per CDC recommendation. Waldo County transmission is currently High. Check Waldo County status at the CDC here: https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view Overview of Maine county status at the Bangor Daily News. We are monitoring the situation and will follow state and federal CDC mask recommendations. Our building is open to visitors, 30 minute visit/computer limit.
Update 7/28/21 Masks on unless vaccinated. Ask if you would like staff to mask/distance with you. We are monitoring the situation and will follow state and federal CDC mask recommendations. Our building is open to visitors, 30 minute computer limit.
Update May 21, 2021 Beginning Monday, May 24: Our building is open to visitors, 30 minute computer limit. Masks on unless vaccinated. Ask if you would like staff to mask/distance with you. Capacity limits and distancing have been lifted. Items will not longer be quarantined after return. We are somewhere between the Green and Blue service levels. Indoor events are limited in consideration of children, vulnerable adults, and those not yet vaccinated. Curbside is always available! Details are on the Pickup page. Please help keep our community safe. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.
Update April 7, 2021 We are currently at the Yellow service level. We hope that as more people are vaccinated and the weather allows for open windows, we can move to the Green service level. We are now quarantining returned items for 24 hours rather than 72, per guidance from the Maine State Library, and evidence that COVID-19 is primarily transmitted through air rather than on surfaces.
Update 12/15/2020 We are implementing service levels for our pandemic response. The color-coded levels are based on the county risk levels for schools and other pandemic metrics. We are currently at the yellow service level. If numbers continue to get worse, we will move into the Orange service level. Orange means visits are limited to one household at a time for grab and go. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we work to keep everyone safe and healthy.
Updated 11/5/2020 Please help keep our community safe. Thank you for your support as we navigate reopening. Your health and safety are our top priority. With many older and vulnerable people in our community, we must all do our part to keep everyone safe. All visitors and staff are required to wear face coverings while in the building, use hand sanitizer, and maintain 6' of physical distance from others. We are limited to 5 people in the building at one time. In consideration of others, limit visits to 30 minutes. Curbside is available for those not wearing masks or unable to follow other guidelines. Public restrooms are not available. No food or drink, including closed containers. We ask that you limit personal belongings and avoid setting things down. Do not come to the library if you feel sick or have been exposed to COVID-19.
Enter through the back door only. This is to help us keep track of the number of visitors. If there are already 5 people inside, you will be asked to wait (distanced) on the ramp.
The details: Hours: Senior/Vulnerable Hours 10-11am Monday to Thursday Monday 10-1, 2-5 Tuesday 10-1, 2-6 Wednesday 10-1, 2-5 Thursday 10-1, 2-5 (Crafternoon online, 3:30pm) Friday: 10-1, 2-5. The Children's Room is by appointment for Family Day. Half hour appointments for individual households. Call 548-2303 to sign up. The upstairs is available to everyone for brief visits.
Family Day: Fridays are Family Day, so that caregivers can bring young children to the library to use the Children's room, one household at a time for 30 minutes, with a limit of 5 people. Sign up for your time slot by calling ahead (548-2303). The upstairs is available to everyone for brief visits. When upstairs, family members over the age of two must wear their masks.
Our children's area is open on other days of the week too! We just ask that everyone wear masks at all times and be aware of social distancing, since there will be other people in the library. Please let your children know that for right now children’s toys, games, cardboard, and the art table will not be available, and the children’s room may look different. We will begin adding things back as safety allows.
Thank you for your patience while we figure out what schedule works best and make adjustments as we go along.
In-library services: Computer use is limited to 30 minutes. We will have our desktops spaced apart and laptops to borrow within the library. They will be disinfected after use. Assistance may be limited due to distancing.
To limit handling of cash, copies and printing will be by donation, so please bring change.
Events will continue to be held online for now. If there are particular topics or kinds of online events you would be interested in, please let us know!
Interlibrary loan is now available. Items will be held in quarantine for 72 hours before being given to borrowers.
Returns: We are now taking returns as usual, in the library or in the book drop. Items will be quarantined for 72 hours minimum before being checked in.
Front Curb Pickup: For those who don't want to come into the library building or are not wearing a mask, curbside will be available. Request your items ahead of time through the catalog, by email ([email protected]), or over the phone, and call us when you get here and we will bring them out to you. Your items will be in a paper bag, checked out to you and ready to go.
Again, thank you for your patience as we navigate towards a “new normal."
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Update 6/30/2020: We are very happy to announce that we will begin limited reopening on Monday, July 6. We will continue offering curbside, with a few adjustments (see below). We will be following the Public and Community Buildings Checklist (pdf) and the Public Libraries Checklist (pdf).
Update 5/18: Now offering contactless curbside pickup! All the details are on the pickup page. The library building is closed to the public at least through May 30, per the Governor's Rural Reopening plan, and recommendations from the Maine State Library. Thank you for your patience as we work to implement measures for a safe reopening. In the event of illness among staff, we will close down for a period of time.
Update 5/6/2020: The State Library is working with the Department of Economic and Community Development on a reopening safety checklist specifically for libraries. We are watching closely with the aim of offering curbside service as soon as we have a safety protocol in place.
Update 4/2/2020: Per the Governor's Stay Healthy at Home order, we will remain closed through May 15. The Maine State Library is specifically recommending against curbside pickup in order to prevent endangerment to the public. We will work towards pickup as soon as restrictions begin to lift.
Update 3/24/2020: Governor Mills has issued a mandate to close all non-essential businesses, and for everyone to limit trips away from home to essentials only. We love to hear that you find us essential! We can't wait to get back to putting books and movies into everyone's hands. Unfortunately, we will not be able to reopen or offer curbside pickup until the "essential services only" guideline is lifted. This measure is intened to help protect both library borrowers and staff. Please stay home and keep each other safe.
3/17/2020 The American Library Association is recommending that public libraries close to help stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The goal is to keep both the public and library staff safe, particularly the vulnerable people in our community.
We keep extending due dates until after we reopen. Please keep your library books and materials at home rather than using the book drop (re-read! Prevent overflow!). You can contact the library over social media (Facebook and Instagram) or by email ([email protected]), as we may not always be able to answer the phone. We will try to check and return messages periodically. We are happy to answer questions and connect you to some of the numerous resources available online to help pass the time. Stay well, and we look forward to seeing you at the library once the public health emergency is past.