BATON ROUGE - While the digital library has remained open during the stay-at-home order, the Baton Rouge library system is looking forward to seeing patrons again soon.

There is still no scheduled opening date for the River Center Branch Library downtown. The library system says it is still waiting on furniture deliveries and installations.

Starting Monday, May 18, telephone assistance for Reference, Special Collections, Career Center, Children's Services, Teen Services, and Circulation/Patron Accounts will be operational at all library locations from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Patrons may call the library location of their choice to reserve new books and AV materials for pickup, get assistance with databases and online resources, consult staff for reader’s advisory service, discuss their accounts, etc.

Wi-Fi service will remain available in the parking lot or plaza from 8 a.m. through 8 p.m. at all locations.

Call ahead and pick-up services are tentatively scheduled to resume at the drive-thru windows at the Main and Fairwood libraries or via lobby or curbside services at all other branches starting on Wednesday, May 20.

At that point, patrons will be able to go to the location of their choice to collect the items they have already placed on hold plus any fresh materials selected via Reader’s Advisory—think of Reader’s Advisory as bringing home the items chosen for you by your personal shopper!

Patrons will also be able to return items they have had since before the stay-at-home order, but the library systems say there is no rush to make returns since all due dates for items checked out after the order was issued have been extended.

Once the start date for Call Ahead Pickup Service is confirmed, the library system will announce it via media and social media, direct emails to patrons, and of course, the postings on the library’s website ebrpl.com.

Patrons won’t come back into any library facility until it reaches its phase two. The complete plan is laid out in the newsletter on pages 2-3.