St. Albert’s library will reopen by the end of June at the earliest, says its CEO, and it will no longer be a place to sit and read when it does.
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney kicked off phase two of the province’s relaunch strategy June 9. As of June 12, a wide swath of institutions were allowed to reopen with restrictions, including libraries.
St. Albert Public Library won’t be ready to open this Friday, though, said CEO Peter Bailey, who was still studying the province's reopening guidelines for libraries, in a June 9 interview – they’re still working on their reopening plan, and have to bring back their laid-off staff.
“We’re talking about the end of June at the earliest,” he said, adding he doubted any area library would reopen on June 12.
Logistical challenge
The St. Albert Public Library has been closed to the public since March 15 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The guidelines suggest the library will be a much different place when it reopens. Librarians are to post reminders about hand-washing and physical distancing, and to consider putting acrylic shields between staff and guests. They should remove toys from play areas and place hand sanitizer stations throughout the library.
Bailey said the library already offered curbside pickup as per the guidelines, but isn’t sure if that service would continue in the months ahead.
“It’s fairly labour-intensive,” he said, and it might not be feasible once the library reopens.
The library was using Forsythe Hall to quarantine returned books for 72 hours as required by the guidelines, and might need a few more rooms if that space fills up, Bailey said. Of bigger concern is the fact that the library’s holds shelf is in the same narrow hall that leads to the quarantine zone.
“How do we keep people apart when they want to pick up their books?” he wondered.
Computers are another challenge. Bailey said the library wants public computers back online, but the guidelines say computers have to be cleaned and disinfected between each use.
“How on Earth do you fully sanitize a keyboard?” he asked, noting some libraries are talking about dishwasher-safe models.
While library staff would be able to sanitize self-serve checkouts, Bailey said it would likely be up to users to clean computers.
The guidelines suggest libraries consider occupancy limits and one-way traffic to ensure patrons can stay the required two metres apart.
Bailey said the library would definitely restrict the number of people in the library at any one time, and would likely have a person stationed at the entrance to keep count. One-way traffic might not be feasible in many areas, as the shelves often go right to the wall.
Whereas the library is usually a place to hang out and read, that won’t be the case when it reopens. Bailey said staffers would likely remove all but a handful of chairs from the St. Albert Library in accordance with provincial guidelines.
While the guidelines say staffers should do a “deep clean” of the library every day, Bailey said it’s impossible to clean all 150,000 books on their shelves.
“The only real way to clean a book is time,” he said, hence the 72-hour quarantine.
Alberta chief medical officer of health Dr. Deena Hinshaw told librarians in a recent briefing that a book on a shelf was much less of a risk than a book that had been in someone’s house for days when it comes to transmitting COVID-19, Bailey said. Library staff would ask patrons to frequently sanitize their hands as a further precaution.
Bailey said the library would focus on in-person holds first, with in-person programs being one of the last items they bring back.
Bailey said these reopening plans are still subject to library board approval and could change rapidly in the next few weeks.
Watch www.sapl.ca for the latest on the library’s status.
Morinville to open later
The Morinville Community Library won’t be open this June 12 either, said library director Isabelle Cramp. That’s because it’s in St. Germain Place, which, like many town facilities, is still closed due to the pandemic. (Town council directed administration to reopen town facilities “when operationally feasible to do so” on June 9.)
“We are planning (to reopen) probably within the next two weeks,” Cramp said, assuming the town office reopens.
But don’t expect to waltz through the front doors to browse when it does, she added – in-library visits would be by appointment only, with the number of people in the library carefully controlled to ensure physical distancing. There won’t be any seats in the library, and you may be asked to wear a mask if you want to stick around for an extended period.
Instead, patrons would be encouraged to pick up their curbside and on-hold books at a “storefront” library set up in the lobby of St. Germain Place. Cramp said this setup would make it easier for patrons to stay two metres apart. Library staff would also have book bundles for people to rent out if they don’t want to place holds.
Library staff would continue to run all programs online and to quarantine returned books for four days, Cramp said. They also have a rigorous cleaning schedule and sneeze-guard barriers for staffers at counters.
While library mascot Thor the chameleon won’t be wearing a mask, he would be safe within his glass terrarium, Cramp said.
“I’m sure Thor is going to be excited to see people.”
See www.morinvillelibrary.ca for the latest on the town’s library.
