Writing articles two weeks before publication has its own set of challenges. We simply do not know what may change between composition and printing. However, there is some information that is important, regardless of whether we are open or closed to the public.
All returned items to the library will be quarantined for a minimum of 72 hours before they are checked in. If we are in a closure period this may be as long as seven days as we do not have staff in the building every day. No fines will be calculated during this time. Although we do our best to keep the drop box cleared, there have been times when it has filled up quickly. If it is too full to take your items, please hang on to them temporarily. Do not leave them on the ground outside the library. If you receive a TRAC notification that an item is still out, but you have returned it, you do not need to contact our library unless it has been more than a month since you returned it. These notifications are automatic and are sent from TRAC headquarters at Yellowhead Library System.
During this current closure, only staff are allowed in the building when the library is open for essential activities. This means Tuesday and Thursday for courier deliveries and Wednesday for holds, shelving and some routine procedures at the circulation desk. Phones will not be answered by a human on Monday, Friday and Saturday until we are to open to the public again. Wetrytokeepthephonemessageup to date, but please allow that things like snowstorms sometimes make this impossible. E-mail is checked regularly by staff working from home, but we only have access to your account information when in the building, so not all questions can be addressed. Your best source of information is our website, www.sheepriverlibrary.ca, which is kept up to date by our very competent Gita. Information about how to do curbside pick up and program updates can be found there. She also posts changes on our Facebook page as soon as we know what they are.
For curbside pick up, please call and tell us what day you wish to collect your items so that we can check them out to you ahead of time. Come to the back door (across from the Flare ‘n’ Derrick, not the Reading Garden door), knock loudly and we will hand them to you. If you are returning items at the same time, these must be deposited in the drop box at the front of the library. Staff cannot accept them from you directly. We no longer offer the online booking of pick-up appointments. This feature was managed by Marigold Library System and we were unable to tailor it quickly enough to fit with the changing protocols mandated by the Province.
Items you have put on hold are taking longer than normal to get here. Each library system follows a quarantine protocol before items can be sent onto their destination. So, you may see items marked as “shipped” for a longer period than normal. Give it 30 days. Longer than that, contact us and we will check for you.
If your membership has or will expire before we reopen, please call us and we will renew it over the phone. Arrangements can be made for payment of your membership fee.
It is my greatest hope that we can fling the doors open again soon, and have you back in the library, but as yet, we do not know when that will be. Stay tuned and check the website!
