CARSTAIRS - The Carstairs Public Library re-opened on March 9 under new provincial guidelines.
The library will have a maximum capacity of eight patrons at a time under the current 15 per cent of capacity rule.
“We are very excited to be able to re-open,” said library manager Megan Ginther. “We have been doing curbside pick up and all of that, but we are sure happy that we can invite people back into the space.”
Having in-person access to the library’s three internet-capable computers will be welcome by patrons.
“Because we are heading into tax season, we’ve had a lot of requests for printing and faxing,” she said. “We were able to do some of that through Wi-Fi, but it makes is a lot harder. Being able to have them come in and do it for themselves makes it a whole lot easier for everyone.”
The four staff members at the library remained on the job after in-person service was suspended in December as part of province-wide COVID-19 prevention measures.
“We didn’t have to lay anyone off,” she said, noting that volunteers are still not allowed to work in the facility.
“They have been very patiently waiting for their turn to come back,” she said.
In anticipation of the re-opening, staff had been busy with a number of projects, she said.
“While we were closed we did some painting and things like that, so we need to put things back so people have space to move around,” she said.
Patrons will still need to wear masks in the library building as part of ongoing pandemic protocols, she said.
“We are pretty set because we were open before Christmas,” she said. “We will be going back to pretty much what we were doing before that. Because of the mandate people will have to wear masks when they come in.”
The library has opened with slightly shortened hours, “because we need to do some extra cleaning at the beginning and the end of the day,” she said.
