A member of Scripps Ranch Friends of the Library sorts through seeds for the Seed Library program to help distribute them to those in the community. (Facebook photo).
Services available for the community
Scripps Miramar Ranch Library
On March 16, all libraries in the City of San Diego were told to temporarily close due to the COVID-19 outbreak and have not yet opened up.
“We are waiting on results from a study on how long the virus stays on surfaces before we can reopen locations,” branch manager of the Scripps Miramar Ranch Library, Trevor Jones said.
Since then, adjustments have been made to help serve the public.
On May 26, 11 library branches opened for pick up services. While the Scripps Miramar Ranch Library was not one of them, locations such as the MCAS Miramar Library and Ranch Bernardo were.
“The pickup service is modeled on restaurant pickup service. You can go online and put an item on hold, wait to get an email then give a call to the branch in which you will need your library card number ready, and then check out the book over the phone. Then, you can drive to the branch and your item will be out on a table for you,” Jones said.
However, even though the Scripps Miramar Ranch Library is not doing pick up, they still have services available.
“The Facebook page has been such a great way to communicate with the public. The Facebook page allows our specific branch to offer services to those in our area,” Jones said.
A couple of the featured programs on the Facebook page include “Drawing with Riley” every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m.; “Storytime with Melissa” every Thursday at 10 a.m.; and “Bucket List Book Club” run by Trevor Jones and another associate. Visit the Facebook page @facebook.com/scrippsmiramarranchlibrary for more information.
The library is also offering the “Stay-at-home summer reading program” which runs through Aug. 31. People of all ages are encouraged to log in to sign up at sandiego.gov/SummerReading.
Another service being provided is the “Seed Library.” Anyone in the community can request a packet of seeds to be mailed to their home address. You can email seedlibrary@srfol.org or visit the Scripps Miramar Library Ranch Facebook page and request a packet of seeds there.
“This program is really popular and has had such a positive response. We have mailed seeds to over 200 households,” Jones said.
All branches are still not accepting returns. Due dates for library materials have been extended to July 13.
Scripps Ranch Recreation Center
The Scripps Ranch Recreation Center and many other centers and parks closed on March 16 due to COVID-19.
While there is no official date as to when the Scripps Ranch Recreation Center itself will open up, other services are available.
“The public can use turfed areas but any play equipment such as the play structure remains closed. The parks are open for the public as well for passive use such as walking, jogging or congregating as long as social distance is being respected,” City of San Diego public information officer Tim Graham said.
Other services are being offered online. The virtual recreation center is for children and adults. Activities such as “Nature Scavenger Hunts,” “Food Science,” “Virtual Tours” and more are all available at any time for the public at https://www.sandiego.gov/parks-and-recreation/virtual-center.
The City of San Diego is hoping to have some other services available during the summer.
“The City is looking for ways to potentially conduct summer camps, but at this time, there is nothing finalized and no programming available at this time,” Graham said.
Alongside the possibility of summer camps, youth sport leagues are able to begin again.
“Youth sport leagues can fill out a safety plan and then submit it to the City and County. Once the plan has been reviewed, they will be issued a permit to play in the facilities,” Graham said.