March 13, 2020

Dear patrons,

The health and safety of Grand Rapids Public Library patrons and staff is my top priority. As many of you know, there have been confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Michigan and the World Health Organization has declared this coronavirus a pandemic. Additionally, Governor Whitmer has recommended that Michigan residents avoid meeting in large groups of more than 100 people.

To protect our patrons and staff—especially the high-risk populations we serve—starting Saturday, March 14, we will be closing all GRPL locations to the public for the foreseeable future.

While we are closed, library staff will extend due dates and waive fines on material. Patrons can return items to outside book returns or keep the material until we reopen to the public. Our staff will still be available to assist you by phone, email, or via social media. Please call us at 616-988-5400 or email custserv@grpl.org if you need help.

As a reminder, the library has many digital services available to you for free, such as e-books and e-audiobooks; streaming TV, movie and music services; research databases; and digital subscriptions to newspapers and magazines. We will be increasing digital borrowing limits for streaming services during this time.

We will continue to keep you updated as we learn more. Thank you for your patience as we work through this developing situation. Please stay safe and healthy.

John McNaughton

Director