Sea Cliff’s digital library now more important than ever

Despite the closure of the Sea Cliff Village Library on March 16 due to concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, library director Camille Purcell said residents can still access its services from home. The library has had an online presence for nearly a decade, she said, enabling patrons with library cards to download electronic and audiobooks right from its website.

Former library director Arlene Nevens said the library went digital in response to society drifting toward doing more and more things from their electronic devices. This is especially true of younger people, she said, and as newer generations began to indulge in the media provided by the library, she said she wanted to make it more accessible to them.

“It was clear,” Nevens said, “that we had to get on board and not think of ourselves as just brick and mortar…that we need to bring our material to how people want to consume it.”

“It’s just another way to keep them connected,” Purcell said. “It’s another way to keep them reading.”

Along with the library’s electronic book options, Purcell said patrons can also use video streaming service Kanopy to view up for five movies each month.

Ann DiPietro, who works in the children’s library, said the library’s closure has had a unique effect on children since on of the library’s biggest draws is its children’s programming. In response, she said she has been hosting virtual story times out of her Sea Cliff living room, inviting children and their tune in via webcam to enjoy interactive stories from the safety of their own homes.

The digital library also helps students young and old to access the library while North Shore schools are closed, DiPietro said, since they are able to access the library’s books and databases if they need them for school. In fact, she said that the school district reached out to the library before the closures to see if all students in Sea Cliff could apply for a library card.

While Purcell said the library’s digital presence is strongly beneficial to the community, she said there is still a great deal residents are missing because of the library’s closure. She said that its staff has worked hard to make the library a community in itself — a place where people can go to form a connection with fellow residents who share similar interests.

Purcell said she posts updates on what the library is offering during this time on Facebook via the library’s page, as well as specific community Facebook groups. She said she also posts inspirational quotes about literature and community to ensure that residents know the library is still thinking of them and that they want them to be safe.

“I think people want to feel like they’re not alone in this,” Purcell said. “I hope that everybody takes care of themselves and listens to the science out there.”