Upsy-downsy, yessy-noesy, opensy-closey. It’s some crazy times we’re living through. Sometimes it makes you just want to hunker down at home with a good book and not poke your head out until everything settles down. Good thing Washoe County has an extensive library system, right? Here’s a look at what’s available where. Photo at left: Pixabay.
First off, clean across the system, if you’ve read a library book and you’re trying to return it, you can use one of the book returns anytime, around the clock, from 9 a.m. on Monday through 6 p.m. on Friday. If you finish the book on a weekend, hold on to it until the boxes open back up on Monday morning. And no fines are being charged, so go ahead and return it, even if it’s overdue.
The big library branch downtown, so appropriately known as the Downtown Reno Library, is open only for holds pick-ups and only on Tuesday and Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The same schedule currently applies to most of the rest of the branches, including North Valleys, Northwest Reno, Sierra View, South Valleys, Spanish Springs and Sparks. Photo at right: Facebook, Washoe County Library.
The Senior Center Library located within the Washoe County Complex on E. Ninth Street is closed for the duration, as is the Duncan/Traner Community Library located between the Glenn Duncan Elementary School and the Traner Middle School in Northwest Reno. Also on the closure list is the Verdi Community Library & Nature Center. As for the Gerlach Community Library up in the north half of the county, you should call to check on the hours that they are open.
If you happen to be traveling up to the lake, remember that Incline Village is in Washoe County, and that means that the Incline Village Library is a part of the Washoe County Library System. This branch location is currently also open only for holds pick-ups, but on Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The good news is that the libraries have a lot more on tap for you than just letting you pick up your holds. There's a lineup of virtual events that covers a lot of different interests and hobbies, including Virtual Story Times, a Virtual Downtown Reno Bomb Shelter Tour, a Paws 4 Love virtual presentation and more. If you're not so much a virtual event person, but don't mind exploring the brave new digital world for your reading matter, the Washoe County Libraries have got you covered in that area too. There's the Romance Book Cloud with always-available ebooks in all romance genres, digital magazines, OverDrive digital ebooks and digital access to the New York Times, as well as channels to access a whole slew of digital audiobooks. Photo at left: Pixabay.
It all sounds great, right. That is, unless you never happened to get around to getting a library card before the pandemic hit, and now you really don't feel like schlepping out and braving the world in order to sign up for one. Well, fear not, you can even sign up online for a new Instant Digital Card and get access to the library's digital collection. The whole kit and caboodle is on the library's website.
And in the larger scheme of things, the State of Nevada library system is just one of 12 states selected to be a part of the virtual cross-country tour conducted by the president of the American Library Association. At 11 a.m. on August 6, Julius Jefferson will present, “Learn and Earn: Nevada Libraries Harness Virtual 3-D for Education and Careers.” The presentation will take place on Zoom and will be archived on YouTube. For registration information, visit the Carson City Library’s website.
About the Author Keith Rugg
R. Keith Rugg has worked on staff for a number of local publications, including Lake Tahoe Action Magazine, the Tahoe Daily Tribune and the Reno Gazette-Journal.
