The COVID-19 pandemic presented TLCPL a myriad of problems to solve, not just for ourselves but as one of the few publicly accessible entities spread across the county with the agility to quickly turn an idea into reality. It became apparent that it was more critical than ever for our community to work cohesively together as an ecosystem of health and social services. It also allowed us to realize where the library fits best into this ecosystem: the physical locations, organizers, and communicators of the work.

With the library coordinating, social service and health providers are spread through all 20 locations for regular, recurring assistance, decreasing barriers to essential services in our community. Our website breaks down where and when the public can access professionals that are in or near their own neighborhoods providing services such as preventative health screenings and vaccines, legal aid, education/career help for adults, tutoring for kids, housing assistance, meals for kids, and more - all completely free.

• Monthly, 18 partners provide over 550 hours of in-library service with at least one representative (often more) present.
• In 2022-23, Mercy Nurses administered more than half of their flu vaccinations at library clinics; a 100% increase in total vaccinations provided by them to Lucas County compared to 2021.
• During Summer 2022, 428 students received intensive, in-person tutoring with an average learning gap closure of 6.6 months in math and 7.8 months in reading, essentially eliminating the pandemic learning loss.