CALL FOR BRIGG LIBRARY OPENING HOURS TO BE REVIEWED

With the end of lockdown 2.0 approaching on December 2, Brigg Library's opening hours came under discussion during the Town Council's latest meeting.
When the library - housed in the Angel 'community hub' building - is permitted to open, its current operating hours are 9am to 4pm.
But Coun Penny Smith wants to see these times amended by North Lincolnshire Council, saying that the afternoon closure time and absence of Saturday sessions restrict youngsters in education and families from calling in to use the facilities.
Coun Smith suggested to North Lincolnshire councillors present at the meeting that later opening in the morning would permit the library to stay open beyond 4pm, and also that Saturday sessions should be re-introduced.
Coun Carl Sherwood, cabinet member overseeing rural communities for the unitary authority, explained that these opening hours were linked to the Covid-19 emergency.
Among extra duties was a requirement to take every book returned by the public to a special room where they were stored for 72 hours.
Coun Rob Waltham, North Lincolnshire Council's Leader, mentioned how the virus had affected staffing levels across the authority. Available workers were being deployed to help the maximum number of people.
He pointed out that "24/7 access" was available online to library services, including a book-borrowing facility, click & collect, and access to various newspapers.
Coun Ann Eardley expressed some concerns about the re-organised layout of the library and suggested the reference section had been reduced in size.
But Coun Sherwood replied that the children's area upstairs was "three times bigger" and added that no books had been taken out of the library as a result of the recent reorganisation.
It was also pointed out that lift access was available between floors.
N.F. ADDS: When Brigg Blog was invited down to view the reopening of the refurbished Angel some weeks ago, a guided tour of the building included a look at what we are going to call the quarantine room for returned books, on one of the upper floors. Later, to illustrate a picture, we asked one of the guests to take a book at random from a nearby shelf. Picture duly taken,  the children's volume was bound for three-day storage in the special room above!
PICTURED: Inside the new-look Brigg Library prior to lockdown 2.0.