The New Library Also Rises

459 Main Street, July 9, 2020. Construction workers continue at a steady pace on both the exterior and interior of the new library facility. Most recently, R. E. Alexander people and subcontractors have been working on the “crown” of the new library” the main entranceway, lobby and cupola above, as shown here. (Photo by T. Murray).

Inspecting the lobby ceiling and cupola (l. to r.) on July 9 are the building’s architect Julia Hafftka-Marshall of Holmes King Kallquist & Associates; Gerry Austin, R.E. Alexander’s site foreman; and Laurie Hunt, Marshall’s assistant. (Photo by T. Murray)

The OPL is open to browsers as of July 27

Starting Monday, July 27, Oneida Public Library opens its doors to patrons who wish to browse the shelves for books, DVDs and audio books, this in addition to patrons who have arranged appointments to use indoor WiFi, public computers, tutoring spaces and the Local History Room.

To maintain sufficient social distancing in the 220 Broad Street library facility as a basic COVID-19 preventative measure, the number of visitors will be limited at any one time to 15 people, according to OPL Director Michele F. Ryan. Patrons who wish to browse will be required to wear face masks and enter through the front door and exit at the back.

“We are happy to say that we can now open our doors safely to the public,” Ryan said, “though we must still limit the number of people visiting at any one time in order to protect our patrons, our staff and the community. In preparation for this partial reopening, we have been restocking our shelves with new fiction, DVDs and books on popular issues of the day.”

Meanwhile, the OPL’s Drive-up Window facing the rear parking lot will continue to be open during operating hours for returns and pick-up of requested materials. The OPL’s revised operating hours are: Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; and Sunday, 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m.

Library patrons who wish to use the library’s WiFi, computers, tutoring spaces or History Room can make appointments by phone at (315) 363-3050 or by email at oneida@midyork.org for fixed two-hour segments, whether or not they require that much time.

Also starting Monday, July 27, the MidYork Library System will be resuming regular interlibrary loans deliveries to member libraries. Until further notice, MidYork will be delivering only those books and materials that were on hold when the state closed down libraries for the Public Health emergency last March.

For more information, call the Oneida Library during its new operating hours at (315) 363-3050.

Register your child online for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Parents can now sign up online their young children, from birth to five years of age, for the wonderful gift of monthly deliveries of age-appropriate picture books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. It’s all FREE!

And simple to do. Click on the following following link or, using Google Chrome, copy and paste the link on your phone, tablet or computer :
Imaginationlibrary.com/check-availability. Then,
(1) Make sure it says United States and click on NEXT;
(2)  Enter your zip code and state ;
(3) Click on CHECK and then click on CONTINUE; and
(4) Follow steps 1 through 4 to enroll your child!

Once you register, Oneida Public Library or your local Madison County library will validate your registration. Note that it can take up to  two months before the first book arrives in the mail, Then month after month, until your child’s fifth birthday, your child will receive an age-appropriate book.  (If you have problems registering your child, call Madison County’s Imagination Library Coordinator Tara Truett  at 315-345-1468 Tuesday – Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.) For more information about Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, check out  https://imaginationlibrary.com/usa/

19th-century Oneida newspapers in OPL’s Digital Archives Thanks to a grant from the Central New York Library Resources Council and a donation from the Friends of the Oneida Public Library, the OPL’s Digital Archives of the Oneida Public Library now has the digital versions of 10 microfilm reels of Oneida 19th-century newspapers: The Democratic Union (Feb. 1872-Sept. 1875 and Jan. 1885-Dec. 1901) and the Oneida Free Press (April 1880-March 1886).

The OPL has Oneida High School yearbooks online Oneida High School yearbooks from 1936 through 2018 have been successfully digitized, electronically indexed and, as of today, posted online at the web site of New York Heritage, thanks to a Regional Bibliographic Databases Program grant to the Oneida Public Library from the New York State Library, as administered by the Central New York Library Resources Council in Syracuse. Those interested in exploring the yearbooks online can go directly to the New York Heritage site at: https://nyheritage.org/collections/oneida-yearbook-collection