CANCELED: Trinity Academy of Irish Dance

A message from Middleton Library: We are at an unprecedented moment in our world.  First, I want to express my gratitude for your continued support and patience as we evaluate and adjust Library operations to take a pro-active response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

As health officials and scientists have noted, we need to take swift action to ‘flatten the bell curve’ in order to provide continued support for our health care system.  We have been working hard to assess what that means for the Library. After much discussion, and in accordance with public health guidance, The Middleton Public Library will make every effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our community. We all must do our part to keep our city and region healthy and combat the further spread of COVID-19.

Effective Friday, March 13, The Middleton Public Library will close the facility. All programming, community meetings, and outreach services are postponed.  This closure and limited service will remain in effect until at least March 30. 

We will be in continued contact with public health officials to evaluate our facility beyond this timeline. This decision was made by the Library Board of Trustees with support from the City of Middleton, and please know we did not make the decision lightly.

It is clear that now is the time for strong and decisive action in order to protect the public we serve every day, as well as our staff and volunteers, who have been going above and beyond to continue providing excellent service over the last several days as this public health crisis has taken hold.

Decisions like these do not come easy, as it means a temporary loss of access to the in-person learning services and gathering spaces the Library is known for providing to so many in our community. However, this does not mean a complete shutdown of Library services. We will continue to provide the many digital services you have come to love, such as e-books and e-audiobooks, free access to magazines and newspapers, and more.

For those of you who have borrowed Library materials in your possession, do not worry about the due date – we are extending loan periods during this time, please keep Library materials at home and do not return materials until we are back in full operation. And remember, Middleton is a fine-free library.

For those of you who interact with our wonderful staff, please note that we are looking at ways of utilizing their talents during this time, and the Library is evaluating all operations to ensure staff are appropriately compensated.

We will continue to communicate with you as our response to this outbreak evolves. We look forward to welcoming you back into the building when this virus runs its course and our community begins to reconvene. Until then, visit us at midlibrary.org or on social media to take advantage of our great digital resources.

-Jocelyne Sansing, Middleton Public Library Director