Caledon Public Library planning for ‘gradual reopening’, says CEO

June 4, 2020 · 0 Comments

Written By ALYSSA PARKHILL

Alongside restaurants, retail stores and other local businesses, the Caledon Public Library has been temporarily closed to the public for the past three months, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As we take steps towards gradually reopening the province, CPL has announced they are planning on reinstating library services in Caledon.

Starting Wednesday (June 3), the library is allowing returns of borrowed books for those who held on to library items while CPL has been temporarily shut down. Library return fines have been suspended, but CPL is encouraging residents to return borrowed items to help staff prepare for the next step of their recovery.

“Caledon Public Library staff miss seeing library customers and appreciate being a valuable part of the community,” said Colleen Lipp, CPL CEO and Chief Librarian. “We are now ready to launch a Holds Pickup service that provides a secure means to pick up items that have been placed on hold and return previously checked out books and materials. Anything returned will be quarantined for 72 hours before going back into circulation. As we move to this new phase of service, we are taking all precautions to ensure the safety of our staff and customers”

The Holds Pickup service will launch on June 16 at designated library branches, including the Albion Bolton, Caledon Village and Margaret Dunn Valleywood branches. The service will run on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m., Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Thursdays 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The Ontario Government released a detailed list on May 14 of businesses and services that are looking to reopen, CPL decided to remain closed earlier this month to have more time to plan and organize their procedures and protocols for their gradual reopen. Now entering the month of June, CPL have put in measures to allow the return of items from the community, as well as a service to allow residents to continue using library services.

CPL is also beginning online programs for different ages, such as Literature and Lattes Book Chat for adults, beginning on Tuesday (June 9), as well as a virtual book club launching on(June 18. Summer reading club and other family activities will soon be scheduled too.

The staff at CPL are excited to be back in business with the community and connecting on a personal level as well as literature.

“Connecting with our patrons on a regular basis – both one-on-one and in groups – is key to our mission. We know that sometimes library staff are the only contact a patron may have during their day,” explained Lipp. “Staff are responding to voicemails, emails and texts and will soon see patrons from a safe distance when they pick up their holds but it’s not the same. We miss that part of our work and we know that our regular customers miss us too.”

The library has run into several challenges while being temporarily closed and know that several residents have been impacted as well. Staff have had to reduce hours, due to lack of availability, and not providing the full support they are all so used to.

“The closures have also hindered our efforts to bridge the digital divide. There are many people who rely on our internet workstations, wireless networks and public printers to access and share information, search for work, or apply for government assistance,” explained Lipp. “With branches closed, we aren’t able to fully support that need.”

She added, “I’ve been really pleased with our team’s ability to pivot by enhancing our digital collections and shifting many of our services and programs to online platforms, but there are still many people in Caledon who are unable to access these virtual collections and services.”

For more information, please visit Caledon.library.on.ca.