Libraries proved their value during COVID with increased services

Following nearly two years of pandemic-related changes and challenges, County’s libraries and archives are looking forward to returning to more normal library service.

“The library is a hub of activity. Throughout the provincially-mandated closures, library staff continued to serve the community. The library is a place where everyone is welcome to learn, meet and connect,” noted Barbara Sweet, library CEO, in a quarterly presentation to council Tuesday night, with Devon Jones, library board chair.

During 2020, the library circulated 173,560 items and hosted 820 programs with more than 13,000 attendees.

“In the midst of the lockdown, I would have been lost without books,” stated Jane Kopp, of Wellington, in a testimonial to the services at her local branch. “Thank you to your staff for coming to work in a world gone awry and for recognizing that they provided a sense of calm, normalcy and stability.”

Sweet and Jones noted priorities for the coming year include COVID-19 pandemic recovery, identifying settlement trends and adapting library services, emphasizing early literacy, continuing service as the ‘go-to’ place for technology assistance, delivering programs remotely and in-person (including nursing and retirement homes) and speaker series discussions.

With the ground-breaking earlier this year for the Picton branch expansion, the next step will see the foundation poured this month. Fundraising has reached $2.4M of the $2.8M total project cost as of the end of October.

Click here to visit the library website to see its services and coming events.