Public Libraries back in the lending business

Jeff Green | Jun 04, 2020

Last week, the Addington Highlands Public Library started offering curbside pickup of library materials. Today, the Kingston Frontenac Pubiic Library, which operates 9 branches in Frontenac County: Storrington, Sydenham, Hartington, Parham. Sharbot Lake, Mountain Grove,Arden, Plevna and Cloyne, announced that curbside pickup is now available throughout their system.

Read below for details.

Curbside pick up is now available at the Kingston Frontenac Public Library. Closed since mid-March by provincial emergency orders, the public library is now able to provide patrons with their reserved materials. 

“The Premier announced this first stage of library service in late May,” said Kimberly Sutherland Mills, Manager of Programming and Outreach. “Our staff and management have been working behind the scenes to get ready. We know our patrons have been looking forward to this day for weeks.”

Public libraries are under different emergency orders than retail, so the library is limited to providing lending services at the curb. “We serve a broad area, all of Kingston and Frontenac County, so we’ve committed to providing curbside pickup at all 16 of our locations.”

The library has re-opened their return slots, and thousands of books have been received. All materials are quarantined for 72 hours before processing to prevent staff from coming into contact with traces of the virus on materials, as well as for the protection of the next borrower.

Patrons who had materials reserved and ready for pick up before the pandemic began will soon be contacted by library staff. Staff are also pulling new reservations from their shelves.

“Patrons are welcome to make new reservations at any time. To speed things up, we’re asking all of our patrons to log into their account online to review their older reservations and to cancel any they no longer need. They can also pause reservations they’d like to delay so that they don’t get everything at once.” Anyone needing help with making or managing reservations can call library staff for help at 613-549-8888.

Curbside pickup will be similar to the experience at retail outlets. Patrons are reminded to practice physical distancing and are encouraged to bring hand sanitizer for before and after picking up their package.

The most important message from the library? “Please don’t come to your branch until you’ve received an email or phone call that your items are ready for pickup.”