Thank you to our community for your kind messages of support, and also for your patience as we work through the enormous number of Click & Collect requests we are receiving. Please keep requesting – we are very happy to be supporting our community. We don’t want anybody to be stuck at home without entertainment and/or inspiration during these times.

We thought you’d enjoy a peek at what’s happening behind closed doors at the libraries at the moment…

The Click & Collect ‘Takeaway Library’ initiative has been a huge success. Prior to the closure, on an average day the library staff would receive up to 25 requests for items via the catalogue per day, across both branches. In the 2 weeks since we began Click & Collect, staff at Margaret River and Augusta have received over 1,000 requests via the catalogue! And that’s not counting the requests that are coming in via phone calls and emails from people who don’t have internet access or are otherwise unable to place holds themselves. So far, we’ve had over 200 individual pick-up visits to our Click & Collect door – a figure that increases by the hour.

We are desperately missing our wonderful shelving volunteers, who would normally save us several hours of shelving each day, but are not allowed to join us during the closure. They already know how much we appreciate them, but here’s another shout-out: our volunteers are awesome (and we miss you)!

We’re working with fewer staff than usual. Some of our older staff fall into the ‘at risk’ category and are keeping safe at home, while others have taken time off to look after their families.

Those of us who remain are grateful to contribute in a meaningful way to our community. You’ll see us through the windows, and if you’re wondering what we’re up to, here’s a typical day in the life of library staff during the time of Covid closure:

• Gloves on! Empty the after-hours chute. All returned items are stacked on a table and the date noted. These items are quarantined for 10 days and won’t be touched again until that period is over. Then, gloves discarded and…
• Time to check in all the items that were returned 10 days ago. This means putting each one through the Sorter, shelving them all (a BIG job, all hands on deck!), and identifying those with Holds. This process takes around 3 hours. Once that’s done, it’s time to…
• Start retrieving all the items that have been requested overnight. Each item is checked out to the relevant patron, then…
• We call every patron with items ready to collect. We send an email if we can’t reach you by phone. And while this is happening…
• Click & Collect pick-ups are happening throughout the day, between 10am and 3pm. Staff are greeting patrons through the window, and placing their items on a table outside for a contact-free service. At the same time…..
• Other members of the team are answering the phones and giving tutorials on-demand: how to search the catalogue, how to log in and place a hold, how to download an e-audiobook. These are all services we would once have demonstrated in person at the libraries. We’d like to congratulate the many patrons who have left their comfort zones while we teach them how to use the online library resources. However, for some patrons this simply isn’t an option and in those cases we are discussing their needs and placing the requests for them. Then suddenly…
• The day is over and it’s time to go home – whew!

While patron assistance and Click & Collect take priority over all else, when time permits we are also:

• Continuing to receive and process new items. This means unpacking, covering, stamping, and adding the record to the catalogue so you can find and request it.
• Responding to the many emails and queries that continue to come in – and the several-per-day knocks and queries at the windows!
• Selecting and packing up ‘mystery’ bundles for those who would usually browse the shelves in person and are unsure of what they’d like.
• And of course, writing up posts like this to keep you all informed about the services that are available to you!

Please let all your friends, family and wider circle know about the library services that are available during the closure.

Stay safe (and sane) and let us know if you need assistance with any library services.