Dear Library Members,
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to contact us during the ongoing closure. We have had some great feedback and questions about the library reopening, available services, and safety protocols.
In terms of reopening, despite the earlier than expected provincial “green light” our library remains closed to the public for now. There is still much for us to get into place before we will be ready for public access, and due to our location we must also wait until Elevation Place is ready to open.
In the meantime, we are pleased to offer curbside pickup service to supply you with a selection of new reading material from our in-house collection, and our book drop is open if you wish to return your library items. Full instructions on searching the Canmore Library collection, placing holds, and booking a curbside pickup appointment are available on our website.
Our summer reading game and program lineup is going virtual this year, everything will be online but you will be able to Up Your Reading Game! starting June 15th. Our many e-resources continue to be available 24/7, and if you need a library membership you can apply online through our website or you can call the Library during a week day and speak with a staff person directly.
To protect our staff and the public from the risk of transmission, and ensure we can continue critical aspects of library service, we are following the recommended guidelines of the Chief Medical Officer and the Public Libraries Services Branch of Alberta. All returned materials are quarantined for at least 96 hours before being checked in, staff clean and sanitize all shared work surfaces, wear appropriate PPE and follow established hand washing protocols before, during and after handling the materials.
As things change, updates will be posted regularly on our website and social media channels. We look forward to opening our doors once again and thank everyone for their continued patience and understanding as we work to resume and modify our regular library services.
Wishing you all the best,
Michelle Preston
Library Director
Please see below for some information from the Town of Canmore on their reopening plans.
Update on Opening Elevation Place and CRC
Indoor recreation facilities, like Elevation Place and the Canmore Recreation Centre (CRC), have been given permission to re-open, and while we look forward to welcoming our community and visitors back to our facilities, we are not quite ready to open just yet.
We know that access to Elevation Place and the CRC is deeply missed by many, and we can assure you that our customers and community are equally missed. As we plan for re-opening, safety is at the forefront of all of our decision making. When our facilities do re-open, things will look different.
In order to re-open, our decision making and changes need to be thoughtful, thorough, and align with provincial health guidelines. In addition to rehiring our staff, we need to source personal protective equipment (PPE) and train staff for the needs and challenges that COVID-19 has presented. This will take time.
We look forward to opening the doors of our facilities to the public as soon as we can. Until then, we continue to work diligently toward that goal and with our community in mind. Stay tuned for more information on our plans and timelines for re-opening.
