In the age of COVID-19, society is coping with the fact that meatspace has been substituted by cyberspace. However, there are a few that quickly managed to adapt to the changing circumstances, and were able to find their niche in this uncertain time. Mortola Library, the main (and sole) library on the Pleasantville campus, has been at work making sure the physical library is safe and socially-distanced. Rose Gillen, the director of Mortola, sat down for an interview  about the state of affairs, and what the plans are for her library.

“We actually had a virtual Toast Day,” she said, referring to the tradition where students at Mortola toast to the end of the semester-with toast. “We set up a whole table with different breads and toppings, and [the librarians] take turns manning the table and making sure that students have their breakfast, lunch, and dinner through toast.” In lieu of that when in-person events were banned, “We did that in name only.” Last semester’s Toast Day was merely a Zoom meeting where students hung out and ate toast on camera. 

Game nights are also a library tradition and are still being worked on.

 “Steve (the librarian responsible for the event) is still planning Game Nights, but I don’t see anything on the calendar yet.” She also has stated that Steve has had plans for a virtual therapy dog event or an online trivia night. “To tell you the truth, we’ve been so focused on opening and making sure that everything is going smoothly,” she said of reopening, calling it an “all-consuming enterprise.” 

She did note that in lieu of in-person events there was “ a lot of virtual programming across the university,” The library itself is holding two events online within the next week; Media Literacy Workshops on both the 24th and 30th of September. As for other library events? “They’d have to be [virtual] until things loosen up.”