After almost exactly two years closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and structural issues, the Champlain Library will finally reopen next Monday, March 14 – just in time for March Break!
The library building, located at 94 Main Street East in Vankleek Hill, will be open each Monday to Friday, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., for browsing and services. After being closed for two years, staff at the library are eager to welcome patrons back and are committed to a safe reopening.
“We’re so excited,” understated Head Librarian Cynthia Martin. “People will now be able to come in and browse books, which I know they are eager to do!”
The library has been closed to the public since March 16 of 2020 – running children’s programs online virtually and using a drop box and reservation system for the public to borrow books. While it was not ideal, Martin said patrons of the library were patient and understanding, as library staff worked to provide services without being able to open the building.
“We just had to reorganize ourselves and try to streamline things, so patrons could browse our collection online and reserve books,” Martin said.
Structural repairs which were required to allow the Champlain Library building in Vankleek Hill to reopen to the public have been completed. Martin said that while some repairs remain, all safety issues have been addressed and ongoing work will not affect the main floor of the library building.
Patrons can now enter the library and browse for materials to borrow, pick up reserved items and use computers. Virtual programs and activities for kids, teens and adults are still available. Staff at the library also hope to offer in-house programming in the coming months, but for now most will remain online.
“We have three book clubs that are running virtually, we have a coding club that is running virtually, we’re doing virtual story time and we still have a bunch of different make and take crafts that are very popular,” Martin noted. “We’re going to continue that probably until at least the end of March and then reset and see how comfortable we are with programming in-house.”
Curbside pickup remains available and patrons can reserve items by searching the library’s catalogue and reserving online. For the protection of staff and patrons, face masks will be mandatory in the library.
For more information about the Champlain Library visit bc-cl.ca or call 613-678-2216.
