Lambeth libraries are continuing their brilliant work in providing online resources for learning and relaxing in the borough, including an amazing range of activities online – ebooks, e-audio, film streaming, daily papers and more.
Now the council is looking cautiously at how they might start to re-open safely.
A council spokesperson told the Blog: “Lambeth council services have been hard hit during the coronavirus crisis.
“When the country went into lockdown the borough’s libraries temporarily closed to help safeguard residents and our hard-working staff against the risk of contracting Covid-19.
“As we slowly emerge from lockdown, we are carefully examining how we could re-open our libraries in a way that is safe and allows people to socially distance.
“Across the country library services just like Lambeth are considering some access to computers by appointment and possibly a click-and-collect service for books.
“Although we would like to slowly introduce some services later in July. This will be dependent on a number of different issues – including government guidance which currently states they should stay shut until 4 July, and how well the virus is contained in the coming weeks.
“Protecting both staff and library customers from risk of infection will be paramount.”
To get a library membership, or to find out more, contact Lambeth Libraries on 020 7926 0750 or email libraries@lambeth.gov.uk
In the meantime the libraries’ newsletters and Instagram are packed with ideas and information for people who cannot or would rather not get out and about.
Here are just two:
On Monday 15 June at 7pm, Paul Wood author of London’s Street Trees, will take you on a live virtual tour of Lambeth trees, using his own pictures and Google Street View. Some will be familiar and some probably less so. Paul will tell us about their origins and the story of how they come to be on our streets. Event organised by the Friends of Durning Library.
Contact Liz at durninglibrary@lambeth.gov.uk for meeting ID and log in details.
Book at Breakfast is a shared reading group experience. Lambeth librarians read from a novel, a short story or poem and then the group talks about what has been read. There is no need to read aloud or speak – it’s fine to just listen or to chat about books.
Wednesdays 9.30am. Durning Library with Edwin. Contact Edwin at EEMacrae@lambeth.gov.uk for meeting ID.
Thursdays 10.30am. Brixton Library with Andrew. Contact Andrew at AOBrien@lambeth.gov.uk for meeting ID.
