Nottingham City Council is reopening more of its libraries from Monday August 3, as government restrictions begin to ease during the Covid-19 pandemic.
As part of a phased reopening, the city council opened five libraries in July: the Dales Centre, Hyson Green, The Meadows, Southglade Park and Strelley Road.
Nine more libraries will now reopen in August but no date has been set yet for Nottingham Central Library. The city council said plans are in progress to reopen the venue.
The following libraries will open on Monday August 3:
- St Ann’s Valley Library
- Bulwell Riverside Library
- Wollaton Library
- Clifton Library
These libraries will reopen on Monday August 17:
- Aspley Library
- Basford Library
- Radford Lenton Library
- Bilborough Library
- Sherwood Library
While the libraries have been closed, the city council said it has performed risk assessments of the buildings and made necessary preparations and changes to welcome visitors back safely.
These measures include:
- All books will be stored for 72 hours prior to returning to the shelf for lending.
- Computers will need to be booked with a team member on the desk or by phone.
- Self-service machines will be available and regularly cleaned for the safety of customers and team members.
- Hand sanitiser will be available for use upon entering the library, and face coverings are strongly encouraged.
- A queuing system will be in place to encourage social distancing and manage the number of customers in each library at any time.
Nottingham City Council’s portfolio holder for leisure and culture, Councillor Dave Trimble, said: “I am pleased that we are now able to reopen even more of our libraries, having previously opened five libraries safely: The Meadows, Dales Centre, Strelley Road, Southglade Park and Hyson Green.
“We recognise the valuable role that libraries play in supporting with education, entertainment and as a resource for information, so are looking forward to welcoming residents back to their local library.”
