Winter Weather and Emergency Closure Policy

Winter Weather Closure:

In the event of winter weather, the Coburn Free Library will close when the Owego Apalachin Central School District closes or calls for early dismissal for inclement weather. In the event of a one-hour or two-hour delay, the library will open at regular time.

If OACSD is on break or it is a weekend, it is at the discretion of the director to close the library considering the safety of library staff and patrons.

Emergency Closure:

In the case of an emergency including but not limited to: loss of power, loss of heat, loss of essential utilities, severe weather, environmental dangers, bomb threat, active shooter, etc. It is at the discretion of the director to close the library considering the safety of library staff and patrons.

Procedures for Winter Weather and Emergency Closure:

In the event of winter weather, the director will monitor the decisions communicated to the community from OACSD. Additional attention will be paid to any winter weather advisories provided by the county and state.

In the event of an emergency the director will monitor the situation. If the director feels the situation could pose potential harm to staff or patrons the director can make the decision to close the library.

If the director is unavailable or not scheduled for that day and cannot be contacted the President or Vice President of the Board of Trustees will be contacted to advise the closure of the library. Board members and staff will follow the same procedure as outlined above.

Once it has been determined that the library will have to close staff will be informed as soon as possible and announcements will be made on the library’s social media, website, and posted at the building when possible. Staff scheduled to work during the closure will be paid for those scheduled hours. Staff will not receive compensation for winter weather or emergency closures if the closure occurs on their normally scheduled day off, during vacation or illness outside of utilizing PTO or sick time.

Cancellation of Library Programs and Reservations:

All scheduled library programs will be cancelled in the event of winter weather or emergency closures. All meeting room reservations will be cancelled in the event of a winter weather or emergency closures.

Approved by the Board of Trustees February, 19th, 2026