LEBANON — Plans to partially reopen the Kilton Public Library are off until late January after officials questioned whether allowing people back into the building as COVID-19 cases continue to spike would jeopardize public safety.

Librarians hoped to reopen the West Lebanon library’s community room on Monday, allowing people to make use of public computers and check out materials.

People also would have been allowed to make appointments to use the building so long as they agreed to wear face masks.

But the rising numbers of coronavirus cases reported in both Vermont and New Hampshire could put staff and residents at risk, said Sean Fleming, director of the Lebanon Libraries.

On Tuesday, he and the Lebanon Library Board of Trustees decided to remain in Phase 3 of their reopening plans, which allows staff to continue providing services virtually alongside contact-less pickup and drop off of materials.

“We’re concerned that if we open up as numbers are going up, that we will be sending a message to the community that things are OK when they probably aren’t,” Fleming said in a phone interview on Friday.

New Hampshire health officials announced 462 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, a record number. And Gov. Chris Sununu predicted the state could see new cases top 1,000 in the coming weeks.

In neighboring Vermont, Gov. Phil Scott announced new restrictions on multi-family gatherings in response to the state’s rising caseload.

Fleming said that librarians planned to take several precautions in the Kilton’s reopening. Social distancing of 6 feet would be required and the restrooms, meeting rooms, and the storytime room would remain closed.

However, “no matter how safe you try to be there will still be a possible vector for this disease,” Fleming said, adding it’s his job to take steps to ensure both his staff’s and the public’s safety.

Librarians and trustees throughout New England are having similar discussions about whether to reopen or scale back, according to New Hampshire State Librarian Michael York.

Throughout the Granite State, he said, libraries are pouring over data and in talks with public health officers and school districts as schools revert to remove learning and nursing homes again enter lockdown.

“That simply reflects what’s going on in society generally,” York said. “People want to make sure they’re not exacerbating the situation.”

York said New Hampshire’s older and smaller libraries are more frequently closing. He pointed to the Lebanon Public Library, one of the state’s nine operating Carnegie libraries, as a prime example of the tight conditions seen in aging structures that can make social distancing difficult.

“If you draw circles on the floor, pretty soon you realize you can accommodate maybe three or four people,” York said.

Librarians throughout the region say they’re having similar discussions about whether to reopen or scale back. Andrea Thorpe, director of the Richards Free Library, in Newport said she is among them.

The library is now open 16 hours a week for in-person services.

“I don’t know a librarian in this state who’s sleeping quite frankly,” she said. “I’m up three or four times a night worrying ‘Did I make the right decision? Should I have done this? Do I need to close?’ ”

An outbreak of COVID-19 at the nearby Woodlawn Care Center grew to 43 people on Friday. Three residents died after testing positive for COVID-19, while two others are hospitalized and two have recovered, Chris Martin, the Newport nursing home’s administrator, told the Valley News on Friday.

School buildings in Newport were also closed last week after a positive case was reported at Newport High School.

Thorpe said she’ll revert the library back to online-only and curbside services if 1% of the town’s population tests positive for the virus, and she isn’t ruling out a full closure if the situation deteriorates further.

Still, she said, it’s difficult to see the libraries struggle to maintain their role as important community hubs.

“It’s killing me that there is no place to sit in my library on the first floor,” Thorpe said while acknowledging that librarians and patrons have to make sacrifices for safety’s sake.

Mindy Atwood, library director of the Abbott Library in Sunapee agreed that limiting access to libraries is difficult for those so used to helping the public pick out books and access tools online.

“No one in town wants to throw these doors back wide open as me,” she said.

The Abbott Library is open for browsing returns and computer use for 12 hours a week, with staff also offering curbside and virtual services.

“It’s hard. As a population, librarians are people who live to share information. We love to make connections,” she said of her want to reopen further. “But it’s not the healthy, safe thing to do right now. It’s not the responsible thing.”

Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.