Wollongong's city library will remained closed this week despite the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, with Wollongong council instead announcing a "staged reopening" of its suburban libraries.
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Libraries at Helensburgh, Thirroul, Corrimal Unanderra, Dapto and Warrawong will open on Tuesday, operating to their pre-Coronavirus hours from Monday to Saturday.
But the Burelli Street facility will be closed an extra week to allow maintenance work - brought forward to make the most of the forced closure - to be completed.
"I know our community will welcome the news these popular community spaces are reopening, but visiting will continue to be a different experience for some time yet,'' Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery said.
"I'd ask people to be aware, to be patient and to follow the advice of staff to ensure their time in the library or gallery is as enjoyable and safe as possible."
People will need to book in via phone or in person for a timed visit and there will be a limit on numbers in each library.
When booking a 50-minute time slot, people will be required to provide their name and contact details to allow for future contact, should a coronavirus case be linked to one of the council's facilities.
"Rather than offering our booking online, which is not accessible to all in our community, we will take bookings over the phone and directly with the library you'd like to visit," Cr Bradbery said.
"There will be an enhanced cleaning regime, everyone will be asked to sanitise their hands prior to entry and there will be no public programs on offer or access to newspapers.''
Limited computer facilities will be available at Wollongong Library once it reopens on June 9, and physical distancing requirements means staff support to operate the computers will be unavailable.
During the closure period, the the council said its libraries picked up up a 117 percent increase on eBook loans, a 51 percent increase on eAudiobook loans, and a 41 per cent increase on movie streaming.
A further 306 people signed up for memberships.
"The level of interaction with our libraries over the past two months has shown just how much the community values the services offered across our seven libraries,'' Cr Bradbery said.
"I hope that those people who have signed up as new members now have the opportunity to come inside our libraries and make the most of what's on offer.
"In addition, those who've borrowed virtually continue to do so."
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
