The American Philatelic Society and the American Philatelic Research Library announce that operations at the American Philatelic Center will continue to operate on a limited basis indefinitely.
Due to the rising positive COVID-19 cases in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the APS and APRL suspended plans to offer appointment-only visits to the American Philatelic Research Library.
APS Executive Director Scott English announced plans to begin reopening member access on an appointment-only schedule at the joint APS/APRL Board meeting on October 29, 2020.
Since that announcement, there has been a sharp rise in COVID-19 daily cases, nearly doubling in the past two weeks in Pennsylvania.
“This week, the world welcomed positive developments in promising vaccines,” said English, “Unfortunately, that news was paired with the highest caseload since the pandemic began.”
This past week, the positive test rate in the Commonwealth and Centre County exceeded 5 percent. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf has not instituted further restrictions at this time but is expected to do so if the case rate remains about 5 percent.
“We are eager to welcome visitors back to the American Philatelic Center, but when it is safe for members and staff,” added English, “We should remain patient and vigilant until a vaccine can be widely distributed. In the meantime, we urge our members to continue to practice positive philately and stay connected with friends and fellow collectors.”
Members and the general public are encouraged to use the library's vast digital collection during this time.
The American Philatelic Research Library has one of the world's largest and most accessible philatelic literature collections.
Our digital collections include scanned copies of resources from the library collection, born-digital resources we have permission to share, and contributed content from other sources.
The APRL offers photocopy and scanning services as well as reference assistance by phone and e-mail. APS and APRL members may borrow books directly by mail, and non-members may borrow books through interlibrary loan.
To learn more about our services and to make a request, view the information on the Library Services page of the APS website.