Brooklyn Public Library temporarily closes 10 branches due to Covid

By Brooklyn Magazine Staff

Covid has claimed another prominent victim: The Brooklyn Public Library.

At least 10 branches of the BPL have temporarily closed their doors or slashed their hours because of staffing shortages sparked by Covid-19.

BPL posted the news on its Twitter account Monday, pointing people toward an interactive map of the affected libraries.

Due to COVID-related staff shortages, some BPL locations may not open or have altered hours of service. Please check the location map for current hours and status before visiting our branches. https://t.co/T8cQS2BAcK

— BKLYN Library (@BKLYNlibrary) January 10, 2022

The following are the libraries closed or operating with reduced hours for Covid-related reasons:

Bay Ridge Library
Canarsie Library
Clarendon Library
Cortelyou Library
Fort Hamilton Library
Homecrest Library
Leonard Library
Midwood Library
Red Hook Library
Sheepshead Bay Library

A library representative tells Brooklyn Magazine that the list will change on a daily basis depending on when employees exit quarantine and they encourage members to check the map or website for the latest hours and closures. All branches are now closed on Sunday.

In December, BPL temporarily stopped hosting indoor events because of the omicron variant. It kept its doors option for other services, like browsing and pickups or dropoffs. The library reminded people that they have to be masked during their visit.

Covid-19 continues to engulf Brooklyn, but there’s some positive news that cases have reached their peak and the borough’s  positivity rate is beginning to decline since its late December peak. The 7-day average positivity average is 24 percent—a decrease from its high of nearly 31 percent last month.