The main branch of the New Westminster Public Library is reopening earlier than expected – but it’s going to take a bit longer for the Queensborough branch to reopen.
Although the library’s main branch wasn’t planning to reopen until September, it’s now set to launch in-person services on Tuesday, Aug. 4. It will reopen seven days a week, with slightly modified hours, and with the first hour of Monday to Saturday openings being reserved for seniors, the vulnerable and first responders.
“After several months of closure, we are looking forward to welcoming our community back to their library,” said chief librarian Julie Spurrell. “Our board, staff and city partners have all worked extremely hard to ensure our community has access to library services, while doing everything we can to make it safe for them to do so.”
Having closed in March to reduce the spread of COVID-19, the library launched a popular takeout service in mid-May that allows people to pre-order books, CDs and DVDs online or by phone and pick them up at designated times from the main branch in uptown New West. In June, staff said the library planned to introduce some limited access to computers and tech help, the children's area and study/work spaces at the uptown branch in August, and to offer a mix of general access and by-appointment use of most of the library starting in September.
Mayor Jonathan Cote expressed appreciation for the work done by library staff to allow the “dearly missed” facility to reopen earlier than originally planned.
“I know a lot of work has been put in to place to move that up as much as possible,” he said.
When the main branch of the library reopens next month, customers will notice some changes have been made to the interior to safeguard the health of staff and the community against the transmission of COVID-19. Plexiglas barriers have been installed at various service points, public Internet stations have been spread out and some furniture has either been removed or re-arranged to ensure safe passage through the various service areas.
The New Westminster Public Library will also have limits on how many customers can enter the building at one time, and everyone will be encouraged to maintain physical distancing and to keep their visits as short as possible.
While customers won’t be required to wear face masks, they will be strongly encouraged.
“We will not be requiring masks until there is a public health order to do so. However, we are providing masks for all staff,” Spurrell told council July 13. “Our communication with the public will be asking the public to wear masks whenever it is healthy for them or safe for them to do so in order to reduce risk and to show respect for the rest of the community. We do not want to get into conflict with people or to put people in a place of having to explain to us why masks may not be safe for them.”
Through its signage and communication with customers, Spurrell said the library will actively be encouraging people to wear faces masks when they’re in the library.
Coun. Patrick Johnstone said he’d like staff to consider whether it’s good practice from a public health perspective for the library to make disposable face masks available for members of the public.
According to a city press release, the library has worked on the development of an interior signage plan that will not only remind the community about the ways they can use the library safely, but also provide guidance to entrances, exits, stairwells, washroom and elevators. The main branch will reopen after the B.C. Day long weekend, but the Queensborough branch isn’t planned to open until the fall, as will the Queensborough Community Centre.
Coun. Marry Trentadue is concerned the Queensborough Community Centre and the library, which is located in that building, aren’t projected to open until October. She said she’d like staff to see if there’s a way to open that facility earlier.
“We do have more amenities on this side of the bridge. I think it’s challenging when you live in Queensborough not to have the community centre to access, and also the library. The closure of the community centre has affected the closure of the library,” she said. “My concern is that October is going to come along and we are going to start to reopen and we may potentially have to close again. If there is any way that we can highlight that particular space and get it open sooner, I think that would be a real benefit for the community.”
Steve Kellogg, the city’s acting director of parks and recreation, said the plan has been to reopen community centre spaces, including pools and arenas, in October, but staff have been trying to pull forward activities that may be able to start sooner and are feasible within the department’s budget.
