NEWS PHOTO MO CRANKER
Chief librarian Ken Feser puts a book back on a shelf Tuesday at the Medicine Hat Public Library. The facilty has started opening its doors to the public Monday-Friday from 2-6 p.m.
mcranker@medicinehatnews.com@mocranker
The Medicine Hat Public Library has brought back a bit of normalcy to its patrons.
The library opened its doors up for the first time in around three months on Monday, and is running limited hours on weekdays.
“We’re open in a small way right now,” said chief librarian Ken Feser. “We knew we wanted to just do shorter hours and get our feet under us to begin – we want to see what it’s like being open for business in today’s world.”
The library has been closed since mid-March and has made the entire building more COVID-19 friendly.
“We really were inspired by retail stores for our changes,” said Feser. “We have physical distancing stickers on the floor and we have directional aisles set up just like grocery stores do.
“We’ve set it up so you can get in and out of the building without having too much contact with people.”
The library is only open for book browsing and checkout only, and has removed tables and seating areas for the time being. Staff members are encouraged to wear masks while working.
Feser says the library is hoping to get back to regular hours soon, but will not be rushing the process.
“We want to get back to our normal hours, but we think it’s smart to start out small like this,” said Feser.
Despite being closed for a few months, the public library has a been running a drop off and pickup book service out of its building.
“It’s been popular,” said Feser. “We hold onto all of our books for 72 hours before putting it back on the shelf.
“People can feel good about the books they’re getting and that they’re pretty safe.”
The pickup service runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday. Books can be dropped off and picked up at the library’s back door that faces the Esplanade.
Play area
The library’s play area is still closed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and no date is set for an opening.
The library is working on renovations to the area thanks to funding by the Kinsmen Club.
