Libraries across the country saw an increase in online library resource use in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Mesa Public Library finding innovative new ways to reach and support East Valley communities with the addition of new services.

The Mesa Public Library was able to use new methods to help walk people through paying their bills, and through using technology that they had never had a reason to come across before social distancing measures, Jesse Simms, Mesa Public Library assistant director, said.

“One experience with Mesa Public Library that was not quite as common was using library staff to answer phones and direct folks to assistance in the early days of the pandemic,” Simms said.

Using a city program called Mesa Cares, Mesa Public Library staff guided library users through rental and utility assistance, small businesses grants and other technical help over the phone, Simms said.

Public libraries nationwide saw similar results of the pandemic with full building closures and budget challenges, with Mesa Public Library able to shift resources to better fit community needs, Simms said.

“Some of the largest changes involved the acceleration of trends that already began pre-pandemic,” Simms said.

These trends that were followed by public libraries nationwide include bookmobiles, hot spots, laptops and other technology provided by public libraries, Simms said.

All these services existed pre-pandemic but made a return after the COVID-19 pandemic created a new need for them.

Another trend accelerated by the pandemic was the decrease in demand for public personal desktop computers, as more people got their own devices and websites moved to be more mobile friendly, Simms said.

The Mesa Public Library has been analyzing the scope of their public personal desktop computers and brainstorming other ways they can serve the community and bridge the digital divide, Simms said.

Several services have been added since March 2020. There has been an elimination of overdue fines, an almost doubled increase in the number of items one person is allowed to check out, and access to a streaming service called Kanopy, Simms said.

The public library also saw the addition of park and pick up curbside service, a library app, and unlimited access to thousands of magazines and newspapers from around the world, Simms said.

During its closure to the public, the Mesa Public Library used that time to complete remodels and expansions at different locations, Simms said.

The library also saw newfound staff growth during the in-person closure. The average number of full-time employees across all branches of the Mesa Public Library went from 75.4 in 2018 to 82.3 in 2021, Simms said.

“Staff took on challenges and mastered skills in an incredibly short amount of time. This allowed us to ramp up virtual programming and take-and-make kits, as well as imagine virtual volunteer engagement and more,” Simms said.

Even through multiple waves of the pandemic, the community has re-engaged with the library over and over again, and right now, the total circulation of the library is around 80% of pre-pandemic levels, Simms said.

Not everyone wants to jump right back into using the public space.

“Unfortunately, adult and teen programming both remain lower than we would like, as does overall door count. What’s encouraging, though, is that each of these metrics continues to grow,” Simms said.

But many people are still just glad the library is back open for in-person use; nothing beats being able to go to the library and just enjoy the peace and quiet.

“I just kind of come here to read sometimes and see what they have,” Jaquelin Molinar, a Mesa Public Library user, said.

As the library shows a bright future, the city of Mesa has also continued to improve as the COVID-19 pandemic wears on. The Mesa City Council has worked on several solutions to curb some of the challenges brought up over the past two years, Mesa Councilmember Julie Spilsbury said.

The Mesa City Council worked with staff from the city to productively use the federal funding that was received in 2020 from the CARES Act and in 2021 from the American Rescue Plan Act, Spilsbury said.

“We have provided assistance to small businesses, food drives for those needing help with food insecurity during the first several months of the pandemic, rent or mortgage and utility assistance to residents facing eviction or foreclosure, and grants to nonprofit organizations facing financial challenges,” Spilsbury said.

Editor’s note: Alyssa Bickle wrote the article as a journalism student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Arizona State University.