Curbside service begins as the first step in the reopening of Leelanau’s public libraries, starting this week. All library buildings remain closed to the public, and each library has developed individual plans and best practices for reservations and pickup:

Suttons Bay Bingham District Library will offer curbside pickup of library materials from 10am-2pm, Monday through Saturday beginning today, Monday, June 8. For protocols and details on how curbside pick-up works, visit the library's website. 

Leland Township Public Library opens for curbside service starting today, Monday June 8, at 10am. Go here to read the library’s latest newsletter with details. 

Leelanau Township Library in Northport opens Tuesday, June 9 for curbside service during regular library hours. Head to the library’s Facebook page for full logistics. 

Glen Lake Community Library will be available for pickup of reserved materials beginning on Monday, June 8, from noon to 6pm. Going forward, normal hours for reserve pickup will be 10am to 5pm, Monday through Saturday. Find more details on the website.

In other local library news, Cora Schaeff joined the Leelanau Township Library as its director on May 1 and looking forward to getting to know the community and meeting patrons in person — many for the first time — during the curbside reopening. Among Schaeff's passion projects is working to close the digital divide, and in her time as library director so far, Schaeff has secured a $2,000 Libraries Lead With Digital Skills (LLWDS) grant for Leelanau Township Library. LLWDS is an initiative of American Library Association and Public Library Association, sponsored by Google, to ensure that public libraries across the nation receive ongoing access to free tools and resources to help everyone across America grow their skills, careers, and businesses.

In downtown Empire, Glen Lake Community Library director David Diller tells the Leelanau Ticker that construction crews are back onsite to complete the year-long library renovation and expansion. The $1.8 million project was funded entirely by grants, library reserve funds, and donations from the Friends of the Library, local individuals, businesses, and organizations. Diller, who has been library director since 1997, expects the project to be complete by late July, and for move-in to happen in early August. “We are looking forward to getting reconnected with the community and starting the next chapter,” he says.