Dear Placentia Library District Patrons:

Yesterday you may have noticed there was no daily message. This was because no new information about COVID-19 and the Library operations was of immediate importance to share with our patrons. Sadly, this afternoon we received information that there has been one confirmed death in Orange County related to COVID-19, a male in his 70’s.

We know that providing our patrons access to reading and entertaining materials during this national crisis is more important than ever and we are committed to doing what we can. Our staff has been working diligently, up to 1:00 a.m. this morning to test our virtual library card service so you, our patrons, can access our e-content. You can sign up for a virtual card now on our website at https://pldca.specialdistrict.org/. Go to the “My Account” tab then Virtual Card. Your library card number will be emailed to you within 48 hours. Patrons who had  previously signed up a few months ago should be able to use their virtual cards now. Please be sure to pick up your physical card when the Library is open. If you are experiencing problems with your library card and/or accessing our digital collection, feel free to email me at jcontreras@placentialibrary. I had a few patrons already contact me about their library cards. If you don’t receive a response from me within 24 hours, please be patient as I’m sharing internet connection with my children who are working on their distance learning assignments.

We’ve also reallocated the budget to shift more funds to our e-content collection including an increase in Hoopla from 5 to 10 items per month per library card holder and ordering additional copies of bestsellers on Overdrive. Our e-content provider, Gale is also providing open access to many resources for learning. A library card is not needed to access this content during this time. Please visit www.gale.com/covid19access and use the password “open” to access the content. There are resources including research topics and lesson plans and activities for different grade levels. If you need additional resources, PBS Socal is also offering free enriching content and activities for your children at www.pbssocal.org.

Several residents wanted to know if we have information on COVID-19 testing locations in Orange County, and unfortunately, information has not been released about where these sites might be and the testing process. As information is available to us, we will share them with you.

I wish you and your family continued health as we work together through this epidemic. I believe in our community and the kindness of our residents. Thank you for thinking of one another.

Sincerely,

Jeanette Contreras

Library Director