2 Upper East Side Libraries To Reopen For Contactless Pickup

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Two more Upper East Side libraries are set to reopen for grab-and-go service in September, the New York Public Library announced Monday, adding to the list of branches that are resuming physical services after shutting down in March at the height of the city's coronavirus outbreak.

The 96th Street Library (112 East 96th Street) and the Webster Library (1465 York Avenue) are among of the 20 neighborhood branches that will host grab-and-go service starting Tuesday, Sept. 8.

Also on the East Side, the Kips Bay Library (446 Third Avenue at East 31st Street) will reopen next month.

The 20 branches represent the third round of the NYPL's phased reopening, after the system opened eight branches on July 13 and 22 more on Aug. 3. There will now be 50 branches citywide open for pickups and returns.

All visitors and staff will still be required to wear masks, physically distance from others and adhere to capacity limits. Small portions of the physical library space will open for contactless pickup and returns, and browsing will not be allowed.

Other Manhattan library branches reopening Sept. 8 include the 125th Street and Harlem Library branches in Harlem, and the Columbus Library on 10th Avenue in Hell's Kitchen.

The New York Public Library closed all of its branches on March 14 to help curb the spread of the coronavirus outbreak as the city approached the peaks of its outbreak. The initial closure had a planned March 31 reopening, but the closure was quickly made indefinite after the original announcement.

Library users will not accumulate fines on overdue materials, even if their library branches reopen for grab-and-go service. Expanded online offerings such as e-book checkout, research databases and virtual classes will continue to be offered during the library's phased reopening.

Brendan Krisel contributed to this report.