Coming Next Week: No-Contact Curbside

On Monday, May 18, the Cedar Falls Public Library staff will be back in the library building preparing for no-contact curbside pickup of holds, which is the first step in a phased approach to reopening the library safely. Our phased approach to reopening includes the following:

Phase 1: No-contact curbside pickup of holds: Beginning Wednesday, May 20.  Available Monday-Friday 9-5 and Saturday 9-12 and 2-4. More details to follow early next week.

Phase 2: Limited capacity use of the library by appointment: Date to be determined.

Phase 3: Increased capacity and more services resume: Date to be determined.

Phase 4: Library open for business as usual: Date to be determined.

When the library can progress from one phase of reopening to another will be informed by guidelines of county, state, and national health organizations, the City of Cedar Falls, and by the availability of adequate safety and cleaning supplies for conducting business in a way that protects patrons and staff.

We look forward to serving you curbside beginning next Wednesday!

The Cedar Falls Public Library Building and Community Center will be CLOSED until at least May 15, 2020. 

>Click here to head to our Coronavirus Page
>Click here to head to our Remote Services Page
>Click here to head to the City of Cedar Falls COVID-19 Info Page

Cedar Falls City Hall will be closed to the public from March 17 until at least May 15. The Public Library, Hearst Center for the Arts, Community Center, Recreation & Fitness Center, and Visitors Center & Tourism Office will all be closed to the public. The Cedar Falls Public Safety and Public Works buildings will have limited public access. >More Information

>Click for the PDF: City Buildings Extend Closure Until At Least May 15: Released April 28, 2020

 

The Cedar Falls Public Library Building and Community Center will be CLOSED until at least April 30, 2020. 

>Click here to head to our Coronavirus Page
>Click here to head to our Remote Services Page
>Click here for a PDF of this Notice

From the City of Cedar Falls:

For Immediate Release:
April 7, 2020

 Cedar Falls Extending Closure of City Facilities

Cedar Falls – As the state of Iowa continues to work to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the City of Cedar Falls will be extending the closure of City facilities to the public until at least April 30, 2020.

The facilities affected by this will be:
-          Cedar Falls City Hall
-          Cedar Falls Public Library
-          Community Center
-          The Hearst Center for the Arts
-          Cedar Falls Recreation and Fitness Center
-          Cedar Falls Visitors and Tourism Center

The Cedar Falls Public Works and Cedar Falls Public Safety buildings will continue to have limited public access during this time.

If an individual has business with the city or questions, they can call or contact the city electronically. Visit www.cedarfalls.com for department contact information or call City Hall at (319) 273-8600 during business hours (Monday – Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM).

The City encourages both residents and businesses to operate within the CDC guidelines of staying home when possible, practicing strong personal hygiene and social distancing, as well as finding ways to work remotely to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

City staff will continue to work with the Iowa Department of Health and Black Hawk County Health Department to keep the community safe and informed. Stay updated by following the City of Cedar Falls on Facebook and Twitter (@citycf) and online at www.cedarfalls.com/prepare. To learn more about the virus, please visit www.cdc.gov/covid19.

>Click Here for a PDF of this Notice

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Cedar Falls Public Library will be CLOSED until at least April 10, 2020

Visit our >Coronavirus page for more information.

From the City of Cedar Falls, 03/16/2020:

The City of Cedar Falls will be closing facilities to the public effective March 17, 2020, until at least April 10, 2020, in an effort to proactively lessen the exposure opportunities of COVID-19 to the community.

The facilities affected by this will be:
- Cedar Falls City Hall
- Cedar Falls Public Library
- Community Center
- Hearst Center for the Arts
- Cedar Falls Recreation and Fitness Center
- Cedar Falls Tourism & Visitors Bureau

During this time, Cedar Falls Public Works and Public Safety will have limited public access as well.

City staff will still be working at the facilities during this time but will focus their efforts on maintenance, administrative work, and other non-public-facing activities. If an individual has business with the city or questions, they can call or contact the city electronically. Visit >www.cedarfalls.com for department contact information or call City Hall at (319) 273-8600.

The City encourages both residents and businesses to operate within the CDC guidelines of limiting travel, practicing strong personal hygiene and social distancing, as well as finding ways to work remotely to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

City staff will continue to work with the Iowa Department of Health and Black Hawk County Health Department to keep the community informed. Stay updated by following the >City of Cedar Falls on Facebook and Twitter (@citycf). To learn more about the coronavirus, please visit >www.cdc.gov/covid19. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

New updates current as of 4:20pm Friday, March 13, 2020

All Youth Programs Are Cancelled March 16 - 20,  2020

Cedar Falls Public Library and Community Center to Close to the Public March 21 - April 3, 2020

Please see our >Coronavirus Page for more information about COVID-19.

From Mayor Robert Green, City of Cedar Falls:

City Facility Status for COVID-19

Neighbors,

During next week’s Spring Break, I do not intend to restrict access to city facilities. I’ve made this decision after consulting with the Black Hawk County Public Health Director and from evaluating the city’s exposure risk (which is currently low). City staff and I will be monitoring the national and regional situation closely; if coronavirus cases are confirmed in Black Hawk County, I will reevaluate this decision. Many working parents and guardians rely on the city’s Spring Break to keep their children active during work hours. Given the current low risk of exposure, I do not believe it is necessary to end these activities.

That said, the weeks following Spring Break may increase exposure opportunities, after residents have returned from their Spring Break travels at the end of next week. For this reason, at the end of business on Friday, March 20th, the Cedar Falls Public Library, the Hearst Center for the Arts, Community Center, and Recreation and Fitness Center will be closed to the public until the morning of Saturday, April 4th unless an extended closure is warranted. During this time, staff will still be working in these facilities, but will focus their efforts on maintenance, administrative work, and other non-public-facing activities. My closure decision and timing is based on the absence of community transmission of the COVID-19 virus at this time. For most of us, catching the coronavirus will just be an unpleasant annoyance; my primary goal is to limit exposure to a level and rate that can be managed by the local health care system and its dedicated professionals.

Apart from the above listed facilities, all other city facilities and functions will remain open and operational. If you have business with the city, I encourage you to use online forms, e-mail, phone calls, and similar channels to limit in-person contact. Strong personal hygiene (vigorous hand washing, especially), social distancing, and limiting travel are also key to minimizing the spread of COVID-19.

Again, city staff and I are closely monitoring the national and regional situation, and the city will take additional measures as warranted. Additional information and resources will be posted to the city website (www.cedarfalls.com) as needed, as well as traditional and social media outlets.

Very respectfully,
Mayor Robert M. Green

>Link to PDF version of Mayor Green's Notice

The Cedar Falls Public Library is committed to providing access to resources for lifelong learning.  To that end, library staff are monitoring information about COVID-19 from the Center for Disease Control, the Iowa Department of Public Health, Black Hawk County Public Health, and other authoritative health organizations to consider how we can continue to provide access to resources while also protecting the health of our patrons and staff.

Currently, library staff are taking measures to help prevent the spread of illness by following the guidelines of health officials by following handwashing guidelines and disinfecting frequently-touched surfaces such as door handles, railings, keyboards, counters, etc.  Toys that cannot be disinfected as frequently as conditions warrant, such as puppets, Lego, and trains, will be stored temporarily.  At this time, our scheduled programs will be held as planned, but we will reassess as conditions change.

We strongly encourage individuals who are ill not to attend programs.  Library staff are already exploring ways we can deliver programming remotely if conditions necessitate cancelling face-to-face programs in the future.

We also encourage patrons who are ill and those who are concerned about their risk of contracting COVID-19 to take advantage of our electronic resources: Overdrive, Hoopla, Freegal, and our databases provide 24-hour access to books, videos, music, and more from home using your library card number. Concerned patrons may also reduce their exposure to potential risk by placing holds on materials from home using their library cards, reducing their time in the building to retrieving their holds on the holds shelf and going through the self-checkout station.

As another preventive measure to assist concerned patrons, we have also extended the expiration date to June 30th on library cards that have recently expired or are due to expire soon.

Our reference staff have compiled a reference guide of links to reputable health information about COVID-19 that can be accessed here:  >https://cedarfallslibrary.org/learn/coronavirus/.

We will continue to monitor the situation and will keep our community informed about any safety measures that will impact our programs and services.

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