(File Photo/northeastNOW Staff)

By Mat Barrett

Turning The Page

Wapiti Regional Libraries opening branches on July 13

Jul 3, 2020 | 12:00 PM

Libraries across Saskatchewan were set to open to the public on Monday, June 29 as part of Phase 4.2 of the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan.

Wapiti Regional Libraries decided to hold off on opening their branches just to make sure everything was in place to make sure everyone was safe. Community Services Librarian with Wapiti Regional Libraries Lindsay Baker said they found out on June 23 that they could re-open on the 29th, and they have been working on a re-open plan since before they knew when they could re-open.

“We wanted to make sure that we took our time with creating our plans and procedures for our branches to ensure that when we did re-open, we would do so in a safe manner,” Baker told northeastNOW. “Not just for our patrons, but also for the health and safety of our staff.”

Baker added getting items like masks, hand sanitizer, and disinfecting cleaners has been one of the hurdles to jump to make sure they can open. She said disinfecting materials and high touch surfaces will be disinfected regularly.

“We expect our patrons to be following social distancing, for their safety, and the safety of our staff,” Baker said. “And that there will be disinfecting hand sanitizer on hand for them to use before handling materials.”

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She said staff will be wearing masks and all materials will be quarantined when they are returned.

If a patron or a staff member were to contract COVID-19, Baker said a plan is in place and they will be monitoring the branches and provincial guidelines as well.

“We will be keeping a close eye on everything, and monitoring the branches on a weekly basis,” she said. “I mean, when you’re still in a pandemic, if somebody falls sick that works with our staff, it’s going to have to get shut down, at least temporarily.”

Wapiti Regional Libraries has over 40 branches across northeast and north-central Saskatchewan, but not all of them will be opening to the public on July 13 as some are within schools and are not normally open in the summer, while some are undergoing renovations at this time. Baker encouraged people to check their local libraries for more specific processes based on the branch size. Some libraries will have a cap on patrons coming into the library, some will be by appointment only, and some will only have curbside services.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6