The pioneering “service extender” program is now undergoing testing at the Ashcroft Library, prior to being launched for library patrons this spring.
The program is the first of its kind in B.C., and will allow patrons aged 15 and older who have pre-registered for the service to use the Ashcroft Library outside its regularly staffed hours. The branch is currently staffed for 26 hours, Tuesday through Saturday; the service extender will increase that by another 23.5 hours before and after the staffed times, as well as for 6.5 hours on Mondays, when the library is not staffed.
Patrons aged 15+ with a valid library card and who are in good standing will be able to register for the service, and obtain a code that is unique to them. In order to access the library during the service extender hours — which align with the hours of the North Kamloops Library — patrons simply need to enter their code at the Ashcroft Library’s front door, which will open to allow them access.
During the service extender hours, patrons can make use of most of the library’s services. They can pick up items that are being held for them, browse the shelves, borrow and return items, use the library’s computers (for up to one hour per day; users can also bring their own devices and make unlimited use of the library’s free WiFi), make photocopies, and read, study, or work. Users can also browse through the Thompson-Nicola Regional Library’s (TNRL) online system and put a hold on any items not available at the Ashcroft branch.
A self-checkout system is simple and easy to use. It is located near a button that gives immediate telephone access to staff at the North Kamloops branch, who can provide assistance. When it is time for the service extender hours to come to an end, users will automatically be alerted.
One of the few library services not available outside staffed hours will be the site’s washrooms. After hours, they will only be available to anyone using the meeting room at the rear of the library.
TNRL Head Librarian Judy Moore says she thinks other library systems in B.C. will be looking to see how the service extender goes in Ashcroft.
“There’s something to being first on something like this, because our libraries are amazing community assets. It goes beyond the use of the collections, and places to study. They’re community meeting spaces, and this just makes them that much more accessible.”
Implementation of the service extender is one of the final pieces of a renovation of the Ashcroft branch which saw the nearly 50-year-old building closed from the Victoria Day long weekend to mid-August, 2022. Changes include a new study and reading area, a new children’s area, more public spaces, and a lighter and brighter look and feel to the site, which first opened to the public in August 1975.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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