Savannah Kitchens MLIS 鈥11 makes masks for public during COVID-19 pandemic
June 15, 2020
Savannah Kitchens MLIS 鈥11, director of the Parnell Memorial Library in Montevallo, Alabama, is putting her staff鈥檚 sewing skills to use by making free face masks for anyone who needs them to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. They鈥檝e given out more than 450 masks to the people of Montevallo.
Library staff plans to continue their mask-making mission for as long as they can, using donated materials. The library is now open for curbside pickup, but when staff isn鈥檛 working to fulfill requests for books, movies and activity kits, they do additional work to keep the community safe.
While patrons are not allowed in the library, Savannah said the library has been filled with the sounds of sewing machines at work.
鈥淪o many services that we offer, for all public libraries, have had to change鈥攖hey look different now鈥攂ecause of COVID-19,鈥 Savannah said. 鈥淏ut this is something that we could do where we get that instant reaction, that instant gratification from a patron. There was a need, and we could meet it. That鈥檚 what we do as librarians. That鈥檚 what makes us work, you know, that鈥檚 what keeps us going.鈥