Unique NEISD library offers curbside pick-up, free activity bags

At The Molly Pruitt Public Library, staff stay busy preparing for curbside pick-ups of the day.

“When we reopened in June, we had to relearn a whole new operational model,” lead librarian and branch manager Rae Downen said.

Downen has worked in North East ISD for fifteen years and in the Pruitt library for seven.

“This is a community center and a library at the same time,” she explained.

The library is located at Roosevelt High School and is a branch of the San Antonio Public Library.

It’s a unique property because it’s the only dual use school and public library in central Texas. 

“We have a really great team here. With with this partnership, we have the best of both worlds. We have the city backing us and the school district backing us in all our endeavors,” Downen added.

Since re-opening in June for curbside-only services, the staff has gotten extra creative.

They have created things like virtual museums, online cooking demos, and even ‘take and make’ activity bags. 

“We have them for toddler, school-aged, teens, adults, and special needs adults. So, it’s a craft in a bag that you can do at home,” Downen said.

She said many people don’t realize they are an item given to San Antonio Public Library card-holders at no charge.

“We’ve had so many people ask, ‘well how much is that?’ They are free, they are absolutely free. We have parents that are coming who are at home with children 24/7 now. So, parents are really thankful for the opportunity for all their children and themselves,” she explained.

The craft-in-a-bag kits are offered to library customers who present their library card during their curbside pick-up service.

“If you don’t have one, you can get one online, a digital library card. Even if you have fines or if your cards are expired, we are waiving the fines right now so you can re-up your card temporarily,” Downed said.

Downen said she has the best job in the world and is happy the Molly Pruitt Public Library can be a place the community can rely on, especially during this time. 

“We’re here. You come to the curb, receive services that way. We’ll check out books for you and get you your materials you need,” she said.

Parents, teachers, students, and anyone from the general public can also find supplemental resources to help them throughout their online learning experience.

“We have a lot of e-resources. We have e-books, e-magazine, e-videos, and audiobooks that are downloadable as well.”

The library also plans to hold resume-writing classes and help with resume-writing once the doors re-open.

“At the heart of every library is that we are helping the public,” Downen said.

To learn more about the NEISD library services, click here: https://www.neisd.net/Page/24309