ROCHESTER, Minnesota - Another public institution will be closing their doors this week to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Despite taking steps to encourage more social distancing, such as removing some chairs, temporarily discontinuing programs, art room and the Bookmobile, and adding more hand sanitizer stations, City Administrator Steve Rymer said late Sunday afternoon that the Rochester Public Library will temporarily close their doors as of this Wednesday. In a press release, Rymer says the library is one of the city's most used community gathering spaces, and closing it was the only way to really ensure social distancing.

Right as the doors opened on Sunday afternoon, the library saw a flurry of patrons checking out items.

"There's a lot of people stocking up! It's not just the grocery store where you're going to see those shelves cleared out, it looks like you might see a few of those shelves cleared out here at the library as well, because you have to have your books and DVDs as well," Karen Lemke, head of Marketing & Community Engagement at the Library, says.

Though the library itself may be closed, their digital library remains open.

"We have an extensive digital collection, and this is our time to remind people that there's another way to access us."

If you don't have an account for the digital library, click here to sign up. In addition, books and other items will not be due until April 30th, at the earliest.