Re-opening of public libraries?

[Aridane]

Does anyone more knowledgable than me on the government’s route map to return to something approaching some form of normality have any idea when public libraries may be re-opening?

I suppose click and collect is better than nothing

Same here. Click and collect only. It doesn’t work very well, and takes ages to get books, but it’s the only thing we have. It’s driving me nuts, I’m usually at the library a couple of times a week.😔 Books are quarantined for 4 days, and as not all the libraries in the area are open, if you order through click and collect, you have no clue if the book is sitting in a library that’s not open at all...so you can wait and wait for book, only to ring and find out it’s stuck on a bookshelf somewhere . Am buying 2nd hand to tied me over.

OP, that's rubbish! Ours reopened I think in August - reduced hours, you have to give your details to someone when you go in, be seen to use their hand sanitiser, and returned books get quarantined. If there are more than a certain number of people in you have to wait, but once you're in, you can browse freely. As a frequent library user, it makes me very happy so I really feel for anyone who still can't do the same.

We had collection only from July, reopening in August. Now only open limited hours and only between 10 and 5 weekdays. I don't know how people working office hours are meant to access the library. When it was collection only, one timeslot was on a Saturday.

i have local libraries in 2 boroughs near me. Both are "open"

1 - open for you to return books and collect books you have reserved online/phone. Can go in if you have booked a pc,

2 - open for you to browse (and i assume use the pcs) but not to linger.

The vital thing is to get libraries open for books.

Facilitating people using it as a free place to linger is never a priority (and before, it seemed to be a warm place for homeless to stay which put many off using it (certain shelves/areas were completly no go ) and led to the removal of chairs to deter them)

The main hurdle to reopening with normal hours is staffing In my part of the country. Almost all the staff are volunteers and only a small percentage of them want to return. The vast majority are over 70.