search.noResults

search.searching

dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
46


be left for 72 hours before they can go back on the shelves. There are also restricted opening hours and a regular cleaning routine for high use areas such as the computers and touch screen facilities. “We did a rigorous risk assessment as we have to protect staff as well as customers and we wanted everyone to know we are taking this seriously and this is a safe place to visit.” Rowena says some people have been nervous to venture out. Usually in August they would see several hundred people through the door each day, but this year numbers fell to under 50. “The town had an influx of holiday makers so you might expect us to be busy, but our main users are local people in the older age category and I think the crowds may have made them even more anxious.” Numbers rose slightly in


September which staff believe was due to the reopening of the Flavel and Rowena says it’s been great to see some familiar faces. “For many


people coming here and chatting to us is the only social interaction they get all day and it’s important for them.” They have removed the magazines - partly as they would have to be quarantined if they were picked up and partly because they don’t want to encourage excessive hanging around which may put other users off coming. However, customers can now download magazines and newspapers for free at home and they can also use the ancestry programme to dive into their family’s history (this used to be available only to use in the library). “We are trying to help those who still want to stay at home. Early on we gave parents free access to children’s e-books to help them out, especially as we can’t hold any Bounce and Rhyme sessions.” In fact the Devon Library Service has witnessed online usage rise considerably as they used to have 28,000 e-book users, whereas over the past few months this number has risen to 65,000.


Rowena says as they move


towards the end of the year they would like to regain the high levels of confidence associated with the library. “This is a safe place and it always has been and we’d like to gain trust from those anxious to come out. We are looking after everyone and coming to the library is a gentle way to get back into the community. We have made it very easy for people to access our services at home, but for readers there is nothing like browsing the shelves and then holding a proper book in your hand and I’m confident people will return for the real experience.” They would also like to encourage new members, especially younger ones, and are hopeful more will join when the new housing estates are built at the top of town. For more information and


current opening hours go to www. devonlibraries.org.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100