Sanibel-Captiva Art League and Shell Islands Garden Club’s Art in Bloom—15 floral arrangements inspired by artwork, displayed with coordinating artwork.
Exhibit Hours:
Noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 9.
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 10.
9 a.m. to Noon Thursday, March 11.
Look throughout the Library’s second level.
2021 marks the fifth Art in Bloom, a biennial event presented by the two groups.
Hover over each photo see captions:
Sanibel Public Library encourages and welcomes use of its collections and services. The Library has remained operational during the coronavirus pandemic by offering 24/7/365 download and streaming services, as well as providing assistance via telephone and email regarding readers’ advisory, Library website assistance, and more. After the State of Florida’s stay-at-home mandate at the end of April 2020, the building reopened to the public in early June, closing briefly in August for a deep cleaning. The Library follows safety guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, Florida government, and public library national standard practices.
“The Library put into place contact-free curbside pickup service so users could comfortably pick up their print books, DVDs, CDs, magazines and more while practicing social distancing. This service is working very well,” said Candy Heise Library Adult Services Coordinator.
Contactless Curbside Service Continues:
The Library is continuing the very popular Contactless Curbside Service for materials requested on hold. More than 5,000 items have been placed on hold since May 1. About 40 to 50 bags go out to the tables for pickup each day.
You can place item(s) on hold online, or make requests by calling the Library at (239) 472-2483. You will be notified when your items are ready for pickup. Patrons will have three days (excluding Saturday and Sunday) to pick up items. Pickup time is weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. If you are unable to pick up your hold(s) within those three days, please call the SPL at 239-472-2483, or email reference@sanlib.org.
There is a table set up outside the first sliding door entrance of the Library’s parking garage. The bags are in alphabetical order. Items will already be checked out and in a green bag with patron’s name on it.
The Library has many copies of new fiction, you can place a hold online in the Library catalog: Click here to search the catalog.
Patrons may return items to a book drop; one is located outside the west front entrance, the other is located in the second parking garage. Returned materials will be quarantined for a minimum of 24 hours.
The Library loans cooking kits for patrons to check out and take home, click here to borrow a Cooking Kit.
Interlibrary Loan is available. All user fees have been waived at this time, there will be no overdue fines assessed.
eBooks, Apps, and Other eShelf Services:
Sanibel Public Library card holders can borrow eBooks and audiobooks via the OverDrive Libby app. Your PIN should be the last four digits of your Sanibel Public Library card number. Check out the “Hints & Tips” for OverDrive Libby here: https://sanlib.org/2020/03/01/libby_overdrive_hints_tips/
The Hoopla Digital app also allows users to stream movies, TV shows, comics, and music. With Hoopla all material can be accessed simultaneously (no holds).
The Library also offers Mango – an online language learning tool. Mango has more than 70 languages and dialects, including English. Mango can be used on a desktop or offline on a mobile device.
More than 70 choices of downloadable magazines are available through the RB digital app where you can access newspapers via the PressReader app.
Library cardholders can also use the popular on-demand video streaming service Kanopy. Kanopy showcases more than 30,000 documentaries, indie films, and classic movies.
The Library’s own SanLibMobile app helps you search the Library’s catalog, manage your account, place a book on hold, and more. The app works on all iOS, Android, and other major smart phones and tablets.
Sanibel Public Library’s eShelf was originally funded in 2010 with a grant from the Sanibel Library Foundation, to provide bestseller eBooks and audiobooks. The following year the Sanibel-Captiva Rotary Club provided funds for an eBook business collection. These services are offered to Sanibel Public Library cardholders at no extra charge. Since 2011 the eShelf usage has grown by 20 percent every year, and more than 43,000 eBooks have been checked out in the past six years, including 9,000 audiobooks.
Sanibel Public Library offers several e-reader apps; including Hoopla for downloadable eBooks, movies, music and audiobooks as well as Libby from OverDrive. New in 2018, cardholders can download music with the Freegal app, more than 13 millions songs available.
For Sanibel Public Library cardholders there is no charge to use Library apps.
Sanibel Public Library cards are available to all residents of Sanibel and Lee County, Florida, at no charge. Visitor library cards are available for a $10 annual fee.
To access all of the Library’s online services, choose “eShelf” from the homepage menu. Your PIN is the last four digits of your Library card.
Library staff has been creating “how to” videos to help patrons remotely. To see the videos, scroll through the news blog at https://sanlib.org/blog:
Click here for Sanibel Public Library’s video with staff explaining the steps to place a hold online.
Click here to see Beth from Sanibel Public Library video, reviewing how to use Freegal music.
Pandemic Precautions:
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic some changes to collections and Library services are in place. In keeping staff and users safe as the goal, the following procedures are being practiced:
Proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as masks, hand washing, hand sanitizer, and gloves, when appropriate are used by all staff.
Following City of Sanibel guidelines, the Library requires that everyone in the building wear masks and follow social distancing practices.
About half the furniture has been removed, self-checkout service is encouraged, social distancing guidance floor tape is in place, and public hand sanitization stations are available at all entrances.
Many shared resources are available including newspapers, magazines, puzzle tables, cooking kits, area museum passes, and more. Children’s manipulatives, book kits, and other items in the youth collection are in temporary storage.
Youth Services Librarian, Deanna Evans, posts online storytimes each week, her videos can be found on the Children’s Page at sanlib.org/children.
Library cardholders can stream or download eBooks, movies, music, newspapers, magazines, and more through eShelf.
Computers, printers, scanners, and fax machines are available and are sanitized between each customer use. The “Tech IT Out” service offers Library cardholders an easy way to borrow a Dell laptop or MacBook Air for use anywhere inside the building. To make social distancing easier, patrons can sit at any table or chair in the Library, and use the laptop for up to three hours. The Macs offer apps like Keynote, Google Chrome, FaceTime, and GarageBand. The Dells have PowerPoint, Excel, Word, and even games like Mahjong.
Contact-free Curbside Pickup is available for those who are not able to come into the Library. Materials can be placed on hold and picked up outside the building on weekdays from noon to 3 p.m.
WiFi is available throughout the building. Mobile WiFi hotspots are available for checkout.
Many eBooks and several new apps have been added in the past year, including online access to newspapers from around the U.S.
As another safety precaution, the library is quarantining all materials for 24-72 hours between loans to stop the spread of COVID-19. The quarantining system is:
When a library item is returned, a staff member wearing gloves and a mask places it in a designated spot for quarantine. The Items sit for 24-72 hours depending on its format (print, acrylic, plastic, etc.).
During this time, Library materials may appear as overdue on your account. Please do not renew the item if you have returned it. Contact the Sanibel at (239) 472-2483 or notices@sanlib.org for any questions, additional information, or suggestions.
You can ask for help via email: notices@sanlib.org. The Library’s eShelf and all online services remain available 24/7.
Best way to ensure you get Library news? Sign up for the email announcements and monthly newsletter at: bit.ly/SPLnew5.