This
Saturday the 12th June will see our Haddington, Musselburgh, North
Berwick and Dunbar branches open their doors on a Saturday for the first time
in over a year; and we are excited! You may question why this is so exciting to
us. Well it is something to do with so much more than books, it is about the
community aspect of our libraries… and it’s about the books too. Read on to
find out more:
Did you
think that a visit to your local library was just about choosing a couple of
books? If you did, you’d be wrong! Libraries now offer a whole range of
services to our local communities. They are a hub of activity and considered a
font of all knowledge to some!
Whether you
are in need of a computer to print a document, Wi-Fi to download that next
episode from Netflix onto your phone before you hop on a bus, an audiobook to
help you drift off to sleep at night, dog bags, recycling box covers, local
information or just a good old chat with someone outside of your own household
– the library has it all! And, we’re not afraid of a bit of change.
Throughout
the past year, our staff have proven just how adaptable we can be. They have
helped other departments behind the scenes, made calls to shielding
individuals, delivered food parcels, walked dogs and so much more. We had to
change the way we supported our library services, we went fully digital! With
the exception of our housebound individuals who continued to receive book
deliveries, our readers were helped to log in to our online resources to give
them access to free books via their phones/tablets/computers. We were unable to
welcome people into branches due to government guidelines and so we had to
communicate by phone and email. We introduced people to services they didn’t
know we had! Online courses, eBooks, eAudiobooks, newspapers, magazines and
comics – all free and available at the touch of a button!
Even as we
slowly move into more “normal” levels of service again, we are maintaining the
Click & Collect option that was brought in while the branches were
completely closed. Customers have told us that they really appreciated this
service while they were unable to pop in a pick themselves. Some have read
books by authors they would never have chosen, or discovered a love of a new
genre they hadn’t considered. We hope to continue this service while there is
still a demand for it.
As one of
only two council authorities that maintained a level of library service during
the last lockdown, we are understandably proud of our staff. And we are so
thankful to our customers who have adapted with us and understood the need for
the constantly changing procedures. We are currently opening branches again but
need to follow guidelines and allow for staffing and COVID social distancing –
this means that not all branches can be opened quite yet. Where branches are
closed, we are offering other services such as extra housebound deliveries,
pop-up libraries and extending the coverage of the mobile library service.
So, while we
hope the end is hopefully in sight for all of these restrictions, we are still
adapting, still coming up with new ways of serving our customers and, most
importantly, still planning for the
future.
We hope you
will book an
appointment to visit soon, like us on Facebook follow us on twitter or bookmark our blog.
#Libraries #Community #Librarians
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