The Erindale and Civic libraries will be closed from Sunday 16 January until Monday 31 January 2022 (inclusive) due to staff availability during the current COVID-19 situation.
All other ACT library branches and online services will remain available for the Canberra community.
"COVID-19 is currently impacting our workforce with a large proportion of staff needing to do the right thing and follow isolation requirements. To try and maintain continuity of service across Canberra's library network, we will close these two branches for the next two weeks," said Executive Branch Manager, Libraries ACT, Vanessa Little.
"This is in addition to the current closure of the ACT Heritage Library on Mondays and Fridays.
"We apologise for any inconvenience these interim arrangements might cause but it will mean our remaining staff members can provide reliable and accessible services for Canberrans at our other branches.
"Items can be returned through return chutes, at another branch or renewed online. Dickson library is the closest library to the city and Tuggeranong library also remains open for those who would normally visit Erindale.
"If library members have a reserve at either the Erindale or Civic library, Libraries ACT will make contact to discuss transferring reserves to another location for collection.
"Since the pandemic began in 2020, Libraries ACT has looked at ways to offer the community services in different ways including contactless home delivery as well as an improved range of online resources.
"The Mystery Box has been introduced which allows library members to choose from a list of categories of interest to them. Our library staff then use this list to hand-pick a surprise collection to be delivered. They may include books or DVDs and categories include mystery, thriller, romance, children's picture books or many more. The material is then collected from the member's home after a period of four weeks and a new selection provided if required.
"There's also a huge range of digital material available from our website. This includes e-books, e-magazines and video streaming services. We have also launched a digital only program, the Too Busy Book Club, as another way of connecting people."
