Library lovers in smaller communities around Vancouver Island once again have access to the full collection of physical material in the system after the Vancouver Island Regional Library restarted inter-branch deliveries last week.
The service, which transports books, DVDs, magazines and other materials throughout the 39 branches around the Island, Haida Gwaii, and the Central Coast, was suspended in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Library users now have access to all material in the shared collection, not just what’s available at their local branch.
“We’ve been careful and methodical every step of the way since temporarily suspending in-branch services in response to the pandemic,” said Emily Mathews, VIRL’s divisional manager of collections. “Our approach has always been about protecting the health and safety of customers and staff, and we now have a plan in place to safely resume the flow of materials between our branches.”
The restart of the service is the next step toward fully opening libraries to their communities and is a very big deal, according to VIRL spokesman David Carson.
“It makes a big difference, especially for communities with smaller collections,” he said. “By opening up the collection, customers now have the same level of access as before the pandemic.”
But it will still be a while before service returns to anything like normal at the branches.
Carson said they continue to take a careful, phased-in approach.
“As with every other decision made since the onset of the pandemic, health and safety is our number one priority and we will only expand our service delivery when it is safe to do so,” he said. “Our goal is to open all of our branches, in some capacity, to our customers, but how and when this will happen remain to be seen.”
Already there is takeout service available throughout the system, and the books-by-mail program is once again up and running.
“Opening all branches across a vast geographic area is a tremendous feat and a ground-breaking milestone for a multi-location library system,” said Rosemary Bonanno, executive director of the VIRL. “I am exceptionally proud of the job staff have done to safely open for takeout in communities large, small, and remote. This marks a significant milestone in our road to recovery amid this pandemic.”
The VIRL has also launched a pilot project in Nanaimo that allows a limited number of users to browse a curated collection in person. That project could soon be extended to other branches in the system.
Carson said the program, which has been running since July 20 has been very popular with 800 people through the doors in the first five days.
Users, 10 at a time, are allowed to browse a limited collection of materials, curated by library staff.
During walkthrough there is no access to the public washrooms, computers, or seating areas. There are no time limits for how long people may spend in the branch.
“The response from the community has been extremely positive. People are thrilled to have access to their library and staff are listening to the feedback they receive to help inform ongoing services,” said Carson. “We do hope to offer this type of service at more branches in the near future. We are also looking at piloting a sit-down service in some of smaller communities and will update the public once we have news to share.”
The Greater Victoria Public Library, which started opening its branches June 30, has set a goal of opening all 12 of its libraries to limited service by the fall.
Each location is currently offering limited services.