All books taken out, or soon to be taken out, are not returnable until the library re-opens again (Photo: EverythingGP Staff)

By Shane Clausing

Grande Prairie Public Library

Grande Prairie Public Library pushing on despite COVID-19

Apr 2, 2020 | 5:30 AM

The Grande Prairie Public Library has been closed to the public for the last couple of weeks, but with the advantage of the internet, they have been able to find ways to accommodate the community and continue to operate.

Members can take advantage of options such as getting books from the library by using their curbside pickup program or taking advantage of the library’s extensive range of online e-books.

Deb Cryderman is the Library Director at the Grande Prairie Public Library and says people are taking advantage of the systems put in place.

“We continue to offer quite a number of services, and we are finding that were serving just as many people virtually or from a distance as we were when people were coming to visit us,” said Cryderman.

Cryderman added that the curbside pickup option has been a big success so far and will likely continue at the library whenever it’s able to re-open. The program allows you to order any book in the library online and make arrangements to pick it up at a safe social distance.

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People who are interested in getting a membership don’t have to worry about paying a dime. Memberships are free and encouraged, you don’t even have to visit in person to get one.

“They can go to the website, follow the links and get an online membership, that will give them an access to quite a few online resources, but not all of them,” explained Cryderman. “If they find that they would like more access to more resources, give us a call (780-532-3580) and we’ll be able to set you up with a full membership and get you a full card.”

The library is also encouraging anyone who has borrowed a book over the last couple of weeks to keep it until at least May 15, as they want to prevent any type of spread of COVID-19. The return box has been blocked so no books can be returned.

Cryderman says that they will come up with a plan on how to return books once it’s safe to do so.

“We have 20,000 items out in the community right now, so we don’t want them all coming back on the same day. We will want them to comeback in a manor that we could actually deal and keep things clean and quarantined before loaning them to people again. It’s a process and this is going to take us months to work through.

Cryderman encourages people to contact the library with any questions that they may have and hopes people continue to take advantage of their resources.