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Online services still available during the Games
I received a feedback card from an anonymous patron today. It states (emphatically) that “It Is So Wrong (for the library) To Be Closed During The Games.” Since we made the announcement that we would be closed, I have dealt with a few very angry people, but most have been quite understanding.
Putting on my Radical Militant Librarian hat, I have to admit that in my heart I agree with the anonymous patron. It’s always hard to close the library, no matter what the reason. Public libraries are such a crucial part of a healthy community that even one day of suspended service creates difficulty for the patron base.
However, after some research and discussion, the trustees and I realized that, practically speaking, the amount of real library operations would be minimal. Almost nothing in Whistler will be “business as usual” with transportation difficulties and other obstacles. Most people I have spoken to will either be throwing themselves into the Olympic experience, hunkering down, or getting out of Dodge. The experience at Park City was that the only people in the library were visitors from out of town checking their email. While this is a service that we provide, it is not a core library service.
If you need information, please keep in mind that all of our online services will be operating as normal. We subscribe to 28 informational databases, covering everything from auto repair to business news to health information to Consumer Reports in full text. Also included in that suite of databases is Library To Go, which offers downloadable audiobooks and e-books free of charge to library cardholders. These databases are accessible to library patrons from any Internet computer with their library card number.
If you are in dire need of some face to face library time, remember that your Whistler library card includes borrowing privileges at any public library in B.C. If you decide to visit the Pemberton or Squamish libraries, remember to bring your Whistler library card and photo ID to validate your registration. If you have any questions, please contact us at (604) 935-8433.
Don’t forget to come in today or Friday (Jan. 28 or 29) until 7 p.m. and check out as many books and audiobooks as you want for six weeks! This is your last chance to take out books from WPL until March 8. During our closure, because all the staff will be redeployed to other RMOW departments, we will be unable to respond to inquiries or accept returns, so don’t delay!
Lauren Stara, Library Director