Library Service On the week commencing June 8 Cork City Libraries opened the doors having been closed since March 13 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Following strict health guidelines and SOG’s the doors were opened in 9 of the 10 branches (Douglas remaining closed due to the fire in the SC in September 2019), but the public were not allowed in. Books were returned to staff, protected by Perspex screens, at the doors and a call and collect system was in place for borrowing.
During the month books were quarantined for 72 hours. On the week commencing June 29, 8 of the 9 branches welcomed the public back into the buildings for a reduced service of borrow and return only. Blarney remained at call and collect due to its size and the necessity for a 2m social distance between individuals. Furniture was removed from all libraries so the public could not sit and read; public PCs, printers, photocopiers and newspapers were not offered as services. Priority queuing was offered to older and vulnerable people between 10 am and 11 am and many visitors wore masks. However, memberships increased by 1,175 during the month compared to year ending June 2019, many people continuing to join online. Items borrowed while significantly down on June 2019 increased by 6041 on the previous month of May when the only physical items being borrowed were those through our Housebound Service. 17,697 items were returned during the month and in the first week of reopening Cork City Libraries accounted for 10% of all returns nationally. eBooks and eAudio books continued to be very popular during the month, 9692 issued compared to 4118 in June 2019, an increase of 5574.
The week commencing June 8, 2020 was also the week Liam Ronayne retired from his post having spent 16 years as Cork City Librarian. During his time the service became one of the leading library services in the country, winning many national awards.
Membership & Visits
Membership
Library Visits – closed due to Covid
36000
90000
34000
80000
32000
70000
30000
60000
28000
50000
40000
26000
30000
24000
20000
22000
10000
20000
0
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2020
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