Both the James L. McIntyre Centennial Branch and the North Branch will open to the public this coming Monday, the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library announced in a news release today.
Capacity at each location will be limited, as will hours of operation and available services.
Services not currently available include room rentals, copying/scanning/faxing services, 3D printing, and more.
Full text of today's news release follows:
The Sault Ste. Marie Public Library will be reopening its doors to the public starting Monday, Feb. 22, 2021.
The library closed for a second time at the end of December 2020 in response to the provincial State of Emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of a staged reopening, the James L. McIntyre Centennial Library will be open Monday to Friday from 1 to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The North Branch will be open Monday to Friday 12 to 5 pm. Curbside service will continue to be offered.
To help ensure the health and safety of the public and staff, the library has increased its cleaning protocols.
Everyone entering the building is expected to follow the board’s Face Covering Policy, and must wear a mask unless they fall under one of the stated exceptions. This policy, along with all of the board’s other policies, can be found on the library’s website.
Due to physical distancing limitations, the library will be offering limited services and will be permitting only 35 members of the public in the James L. McIntyre Centennial Library and 25 members of the public in the North Branch at a time.
Visitors may be required to wait before entering.
The library stacks will be open for browsing, however staff asks that any books that are handled by the public be placed on one of the carts provided for quarantine.
Seating within the library will be very limited.
Additional rules – such as no consumption of food and drink while in the library– will also be in place.
Services that will resume at a limited capacity include:
• computer/internet services (limited stations available – shorter booking times)
• Reference and Reader’s Advisory
• public washroom access
Services that will not be available during this phase of reopening include:
• room rentals
• copying/scanning/faxing services
• visiting library service
• daily periodicals/newspapers
• educational toys in the children’s area
• study area space
• self-service public access catalogues
• water fountain
• 3D printing
• VHS-DVD conversion
The library is currently not charging fines for late returns.
Virtual programming will continue to be made available to users through the library’s website and social media.
The Friends of the Library Bookstore will also be reopening. Store capacity is set to three customers at a time. The library will begin to accept book donations starting Monday.
Ontario’s public libraries are actively monitoring the evolving situation regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Public libraries are working closely with local municipalities, public health authorities and Ontario’s library services agencies to make timely, responsible decisions about programming, services and access.
For up-to-date information about the status please consult the library’s website or reach out to us through social media.
