With COVID precautions in place, it can be tricky to stay safe while handling things that were previously a part of our daily routine. Libraries across the country, including West’s own, have been hit hard by the pandemic. Have you missed checking out books at the library before school or at lunch? Ms. Budge and her library aids have been working hard to encourage students to read while also keeping us safe.

If you want to check out a physical book, you can do it through the Destiny library, which you can access via the Library Learning Center tab in the West High homepage. You can place a book on hold and later pick it up at the library.

Preventing contact with other people while picking up books is very important, but the book itself could also have COVID traces from the person that previously checked it out. The library’s solution to this problem is to keep every book in quarantine for at least seventy-two hours when it is returned. During this time, any remnants of the virus will not be able to survive, so the next person that checks out the book will be completely safe.

The library staff also make sure to wipe the books down. They say that this is often tricky, but they do their best in wiping down the hard surfaces with disinfectant before shelving them.
The demand for e-books has increased exponentially during the pandemic. Ms. Budge and the library staff have been ordering many e-books on the Sora platform. All students must do is go to soraapp.com and sign in to Salt Lake City School District, where they can gain access to many books. For those who also enjoy listening to books, audio books are also available.

Ms. Budge would like to encourage the students of West High to continue reading, and says that the library is willing to help out those who are looking for a good read.

If you have any questions or need help, you can email Ms. Budge at [email protected], and she will be happy to help you. Reading books, she says, is “great to take your mind off things that might be stressful.”