THUNDER BAY – All four Thunder Bay Public Library branches are once again open to the public for inside services.
“Obviously it’s great for our patrons, it’s great for our staff," said CEO and Chief Librarian John Pateman. "It’s the first time since March 2019 that we’ve been fully operational. We were at one point kind of semi-open, now we’re fully open."
Public health restrictions for visitors include mandatory masks, capacity limits, COVID-19 screening, and limits on how long patrons can spend inside.
“Other than that, all services are now available, people can come to the library, they can browse, they can use the computers obviously, they can take books out, they can bring books in," said Pateman. "It’s a full service model, though at the moment, we're not having in-person programing.”
Curbside service will remain available for those who cannot wear a mask or prefer the service.
The Thunder Bay Public Library took a little longer than other businesses and services to reopen their doors, and that delay is due to a revitalization of the inside of the library's four branches.
“We did kind of a reset and a re-imagination of the public library, we felt it was a good chance to look at things afresh, to do things differently,” Pateman said.
“Particularly in the two downtown core libraries, which were looking a bit old, a bit tired, we thought, new furniture, new equipment, new shelving, shelving on wheels that’s lower down so we can see over it, so we can move it around, kind of change the space whenever we like. That was a major investment, and I think people will like the results.”
The Brodie Street branch received new furniture built by second-year students from Sheridan College’s Honours Bachelor of Craft and Design (Furniture) degree program who collaboratively designed and created furniture specifically for Indigenous library patrons in Brodie Library’s Indigenous Knowledge Centre.
"They came up here one weekend, they spent the weekend on the land with our Indigenous staff, inspired by the environment, they designed the furniture at Brodie Library," Pateman said.
All Thunder Bay Library Locations will be closed on Sept. 30 for The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
For more information on The Thunder Bay Public Libraries open hours as well as their available services and COVID-19 protocols, please visit their website.
