The Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library plans to re-open its doors next week.
A media release from the library says it will open at noon on Tuesday, August 11th and adds, “The Library is excited to welcome everyone back. We are hopeful that patrons will bear with the changes that have been made to our services as we work to keep staff and public safe during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.”
For the first stage of re-opening, library hours will be Tuesday, 12-8 p.m. and Wednesday to Friday, 12-5 p.m.
People are asked to wear a mask and follow physical distancing guidelines and directional markers while in the building. There will be a limit of 20 patrons at a time, for a maximum visit of 30 minutes each, daily.
Meanwhile, the final day to collect items for curbside pickup will be August 7th.
The media release says from the 11th onward, the items can be picked up from the holds shelf on the main level and checked out at the circulation desk.
Due dates will revert to the regular one week for DVDs and three weeks for all other library materials.
The Library says it will have a limited number of computers available for use and visitors can obtain a computer pass at the information desk.
Printing and photocopying will be available with staff assistance.
Returns can be made at the outside book drop, which, once full, will be quarantined for 96 hours.
To account for that, the library will continue to waive fines.
Library staff say due to government guidelines, anything taken off the shelf but not borrowed will be quarantined for 96 hours before it goes back on the shelf. Baskets will be made available for those items.
Meanwhile, the Carnegie level will be off limits for a least two weeks starting on August 11 for lighting work. Items requested from the Library's non-fiction collection can be pulled by staff.