By Brian Pham & Vyvyan Nguyen
When Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) closed its campuses last spring due to COVID-19, so did the school library. The FVHS library, however, recently reopened and is ready to check out books to students.
“I’m excited to have the library open for curbside service because I know how reading materials were relatively scarce since the pandemic happened,” FVHS Assistant Librarian Sharon Watkins said.
The library is available for book pickups Monday through Friday from 12:30-3:30 p.m. behind the Media Center.
Students must first place their books on hold and wait for a confirmation message before going to pick up their books. Watch the video below to learn how to schedule curbside pickup.
Watkins and the Huntington Beach Union High School District (HBUHSD) have taken the necessary precautions to reopen school libraries, such as quarantining returned materials for 96 hours.
FVHS is following the lead of local public libraries and state and county guidelines to organize how the library is working while still adjusting plans to fit school needs. The REALM project, which shares information on how to reopen libraries and handle library materials, has been a useful resource for Watkins and HBUHSD.
“My experience went well overall,” junior Sydnie Sabbarese said. “[I] thought it was really easy to navigate and get my book quickly.”
Sabbarese added that the system for checking out books is different than what she is used to.
“It is a little inconveniencing to get books this way compared to the library being open normally since you have to set your book aside a few hours before you pick it up, and let the librarian know you’re there ahead of time,” Sabbarese said. “[O]ther than that, it was actually quicker for me to get my book this way than it usually is.”
Students can email swatkins@hbuhsd.edu if they have any questions about curbside pickup or need help finding a book.
Click here for the FVHS curbside pickup flyer and here for a guide on placing books on hold.
