CALGARY -- A new chapter in the Calgary Public Library’s history now includes opening during a pandemic. Three locations — Fish Creek, Crowfoot and Forest Lawn — opened to the public Tuesday morning.
“There’s hand sanitizer everywhere, lots of opportunities to clean computers and to clean surfaces. Staff are wiping things down throughout the day and doing major cleaning overnight ,” said Sarah Meilleur, CPL’s director of service delivery.
“There’s also the opportunity that if you’ve sat with a book for a long time to place it in a box for quarantine,” she added.
It's part of the library’s plan to gradually reopen all of its branches after being closed due to COVID-19.
Officials urge people to wear masks and maintain proper physical distancing while inside. The first three locations are open under limited hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and people are asked to try and limit their visit to 60 minutes to allow more people to use the facility.
About 40 people lined up outside of the Crowfoot location Tuesday, eager to swap out books they’ve held for months.
“I returned about 80 books we had in the classroom and we’ve been using at home,” said Corinne Webb, a teacher who used the library’s books to teach her students during online learning.
“Now I’m transitioning. I’ll be doing some more gardening, reading about children’s work and some pleasure reading as well. So, super excited to be back!” Webb said.
Even though most haven’t reopened to the public, all 21 library locations still allow people to reserve books online for curbside pickup.
The library hopes to open more locations, including the Central Library, in the coming weeks.
