After ceasing in-person services in March 2020, Jefferson County Public Library sought to safely re-open its doors in July, with approval from our governing authorities. The challenge was to prepare patrons for what to expect when visiting our newly opened libraries and share the safety guidelines in a fun and familiar way. Safety guidelines are often skimmed and safety videos often dry and boring. We wanted to create a short, highly engaging video that would educate our community about our new safety guidelines.

Our goal was to create a video covering key safety guidelines, so patrons knew what to expect before visiting our libraries during the pandemic. We worked with our county public health department for safety protocols and with our graphics team for signage to aid communication. Our comms team wrote and performed the script. Our unique approach allowed us to deliver serious information in a familiar yet clever format, with a touch of lightheartedness that was much needed, all in less than three minutes of video.

Our community's response exceeded expectations. Our approach led to patrons sharing the video and a high degree of engagement, resulting in more than 10,000 views total. Most importantly, we found patrons well prepared when they returned to in-person services in our libraries! Some continue to prefer curbside services, but we had 188,619 in-library checkouts in the month of August alone. We have had few instances of patrons being unprepared for the safety requirements. We also received great feedback from peer libraries.