Following a board meeting on March 16^th and in consultation with Saline County Quorum Court, the Saline County Library announced they will take extra precautions to protect staff and patrons while also still providing access to entertainment and educational resources. The Benton location will be offering restricted access and the Bryant branch will only be open for curbside pick-up of holds. Both will shorten the hours open.

The Bob Herzfeld Memorial Library in Benton will be open from 10AM to 6PM Monday thru Friday and 10AM to 2PM on Saturdays but the main facilities will be closed to the public. Curbside Pick-up will be available to pick up holds or request specific materials at the door. The meeting room will provide access to four computers the public may use by reserving a one hour time slot. Patrons may call 501-778-4766 to reserve a computer. Printing and faxing will still be offered but will have to be requested through a staff member. 

For those that do not have internet access at home, the library is offering to provide activity packets with crossword puzzles, word searches and Sudoku puzzles. They also have a collection of jigsaw puzzles available for curbside pick-up.

Staff will also have activity packets for children that parents may pick-up. This includes printed escape room packets, STEM kits and creative writing activities, all of which can be completed from home.

The Friends of the Saline County Library will keep the free donation books outside and stocked as much as possible. Residents are encouraged to apply for an online card if they do not currently have a library card to get access to digital services immediately. This includes but is not limited to homework help and tutoring, language learning, resume building and interview training, music downloads, video streaming, eBooks and audiobooks. On March 17^th, the library will be launching a new resource called Hoopla that will provide online streaming and downloads for movies, music, audiobooks, eBooks and comics. All of the library resources are free for the public to use and available 24/7.

The Mabel Boswell Memorial Library in Bryant will be open from 10AM – 2PM Monday thru Friday so patrons may pick up their holds with curbside assistance. Both locations have free WiFi that is available from the parking lot 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

For more information, including our hours for each location, visit www.SalineCountyLibrary.org or call 501-778-4766.