The Iowa City Public Library will not be answering its phones as staff begin working remotely in an effort to help limit the spread of COVID-19, the library explained in a press release on Monday.
People will still be able to contact the library with questions via online chat. The chat will be live 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
All of the library’s online services — from lessons in foreign languages to the complete text of Irving Weber’s multi-volume history of Iowa City to a free access to the New York Times — remain available. Anyone with an ICPL card can also access Kanopy, a free movie-streaming service with over 30,000 classic and indie films, and documentaries.
The library will also be continuing its storytime for young children via video. The schedule for the stories will be posted on ICPL’s Facebook page.
The city announced on March 15 that ICPL would be closed to the public through at least April 5.
