Select Vancouver Public Library locations are reopening next week

The Vancouver Public Library (VPL) will reopen five locations to the public starting next week.

On Tuesday, July 14, the following locations will offer limited, in-person services:

• Central Library
• Britannia
• Kitsilano
• Renfrew
• South Hill

The libraries will be open between Tuesday and Saturday with added health and safety measures. Visitors will be able to pick up any existing holds, return books, schedule time to use the public computers, and access physical collections for brief periods of time.

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Central Library, which is located in Downtown Vancouver on West Georgia Street, will reopen the first three levels of its facility, which includes the children’s library, popular reading, teenage novels, DVDs, multilingual collections, and public computers.

The VPL has also announced that takeout services are being expanded to operate between Tuesday and Saturday. Book takeout must be done by appointment and allows for readers to pick up existing holds and grab-bags that are selected by staff. The following locations will offer book takeout, with plans to expand the service through the remainder of July and August:

• Champlain Heights
• Dunbar
• Firehall
• Hastings
• Kensington

Book returns will be available to guests starting this Tuesday, although the VPL is asking the public to “not rush to return materials immediately” so that staff can safely manage re-shelving materials.

To ensure the health and safety of visitors and staff, the library encourages short visits. In-person programs for children, teenagers, and adults remain suspended, although digital programming will continue throughout the summer.

“We want to thank everyone for their support and patience as we gradually reopen,” chief librarian Christina de Castell said in a release. “Reopening a large library system like VPL is a complex undertaking, and we are ensuring that as we begin to welcome everyone back to the library, we provide the services people need with appropriate health and safety measures.”