Hello there, library users!
We're sure by now that you've heard the Government of Ontario has finally permitted libraries to begin pickup services, starting officially today. We have been getting prepared for this possibility over the last couple of weeks, but there are still a few more things that we need to look into in regards to how this service will look for our library and when we can launch it. We will be discussing our tentative procedures at the council meeting tomorrow (Wednesday May 20th) to ensure that our municipal staff feel comfortable with them before we begin, as we all work in the same building. We are also looking into what the schedule for this service will look like, taking into consideration current staffing and the ongoing construction of the main street of Maynooth.
For now, this is all the information that we have on this service for our library, but now we would like to take a bit of time to reassure you that we are taking every possible measure to make sure that this process is safe for not only our staff but our most vulnerable patrons as well: When we reopen our dropbox officially, staff will handle returned items while wearing gloves and place them in the designated quarantine location for a minimum of 72 hours, due to some items containing plastic or other special materials. These items will remain on your account during this time, to reduce the possibility of cross contamination, but all fines will be waived. Returned items will only be accepted through the dropbox.
Pickups will be scheduled so that we can stagger the number of people arriving outside the library, and physical distancing will be enforced. It is likely that this service will be offered at reduced hours, at least in the beginning, so we ask that whenever possible you still try to use the digital books through the Libby/Overdrive apps as well. The full procedure of how to schedule a pickup, how to find what books the library has, and even how to find what you should read next if you don't already have an idea, will be posted once this service is available to the public.
We have not heard anything about when the library will be able to reopen to the public, aside from the fact that when this is finally permitted, building capacity limits and physical distancing will be part of the new norm for some time yet. We have been preparing behind the scenes on what this will look like for our library, and what it will mean for our library users, and will make an official announcement regarding this once the government has permitted the reopening of libraries.
We thank you for your patience and understanding during this difficult time. Stay tuned to find out when the pickup service will officially begin!