Saskatoon Public Library says it is not yet ready to reopen under Phase 4.2 of the province’s reopening plan from the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Libraries are allowed to reopen on June 29 under the plan.
However, the library’s CEO says she doesn’t know yet when they will move to that phase.
“We look forward to welcoming patrons back into our facilities in a gradual manner, but we need to ensure all necessary safety protocols and equipment are in place before we do so,” Carol Cooley said Wednesday.
“We are fine-tuning our reopening plans based on provincial guidelines and also waiting for some personal protective equipment (PPE) to arrive and be installed.”
SPL said employees are actively working on moving to the next step of the plan and said it is operating out of an abundance of caution to ensure the health and safety of its employees and patrons.
In the meantime, Cooley is encouraging people to use its hold and pick-up services, which resumed on June 15.
“We encourage Saskatoon residents to continue using our contactless holds pick-up service for physical library materials and the digital library resources on our website,” she said.
SPL said in the first week of offering pick-up services, over 21,000 holds were placed on items.
There are currently over 100,000 items checked out of SPL, and those can now be returned through book drops at all branches.
Late fines continue to remain suspended until further notice.