Curbside pickup service resumed at the downtown location of the St. Albert Public Library on Tuesday morning, with a scheduled Thursday morning start at the Jensen Lakes Library.
It's a quick shift back to "pandemic rules," says library CEO Peter Bailey, noting the library offers many services that have high public demand.
“We pivoted before to remote service and curbside service during the pandemic, so we’re able to turn it around quickly this time. We know how much the community relies on their library during these tough times,” he stated in a press release.
He added the two libraries have been very busy places since the government announced the new restrictions. Staff have been processing an extremely high volume of hold requests and checkouts. The total number of items checked out on Tuesday, Dec. 8 – 6,719 – was a new record for the facility. The previous highest number was in July of 2017, when 5,400 items were checked out in a single day.
Both library locations shut their physical doors after being open on Saturday to continued booming business. They will both remain closed for at least four weeks in accordance with provincial government direction.
“The health of our patrons, staff and our community is always our top priority, and we support this step in reducing the community spread of COVID-19,” stated a note on the library’s website.
“We are committed to ensuring your continued access to the Library collections, services and programs you need, during the temporary closure of our physical spaces. These are the times when you need your library more than ever, and we continue to be here for you through it all.”
The revived SAPL Curbside Pickup service will be done using the library’s existing holds system and will observe contact-free protocols for the safety of patrons and staff. The service will operate at the main branch on weekdays from noon to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will also be available at Jensen Lakes Library on Thursdays and Fridays from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This is the second time that the public institution has had to close. It first closed in mid-March during the height of the first wave of the pandemic, reopening again at the end of June.
During the closure of library facilities, library staff will continue to offer remote services during scheduled hours. Scheduled online programs will also continue and 24/7 access to digital collections will continue unabated.
“The library continues to work closely with the City of St. Albert throughout these evolving circumstances, and we appreciate their ongoing support of library services in the community,” Bailey continued. “We are closely monitoring the situation and take guidance from the City and the Province of Alberta.”People should check the library’s website at sapl.ca for further details as they emerge.
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