Wicklow libraries are still providing a service
WICKLOW County Council Library Service has found new ways to serve its users while the country remains in lockdown.
All county libraries closed on March 13 but staff are still making efforts to engage with patrons.
‘Spring Into Storytime’ is part of the ‘Right To Read’ campaign and usually the month of April is dedicated to emphasising the importance of storytime sessions for children and parents.
With the buildings closed to the public, library staff have recorded themselves reading picture and chapter books and making simple crafts in their own homes or from their back gardens.
The stories have been delivered in Irish, French and English and so far have been collectively viewed almost 8,000 times on Facebook during the month of April.
Staff have also linked up with local pre-schools and set up Zoom Story Times: an arrangement between the preschool operators and the librarian.
Other activities delivered virtually have included the wildlife illustrator Aga Grandowicz giving a live demonstration on how to draw a frog.
Music Generation Wicklow produced podcasts have been shared on Facebook where people can learn to sing and play popular tunes. This is proving very popular with people cocooning or just at home due to the restrictions who have been practising or learning to play an instrument.
The Borrowbox Book Club facility is also very popular. This has been set up using title on the library’s ebook and audiobook resource where multiple copies of titles have been made available.
Patrons download the book in either format and engage in a discussion via Zoom and the librarian. There has been a great interest in this virtual book club as it provides the perfect platform for people who love to read and then share their opinions and feelings about the current book.
Borrowbox is a resource in use for many years by the library service but the pandemic restrictions have seen a huge increase in usage – Wicklow County Library Service has seen an almost tripling in usage since mid-March with almost 5,000 people actively using these resources. An invitation to compose a limerick and submit it be viewed on Facebook was hugely popular with adults and children alike – and a month later the library service is still getting submissions. Wicklow Libraries have also partnered with Poetry Ireland and have been given permission to publish archived work by Irish poets on social media.
KILDARE and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB) offer free online training in infection prevention and control.
Due to the current Coronavirus organisations and individuals dealing with the public, are required to implement strict infection prevention and control measures.
The KWETB course is aimed at persons employed in all business sectors, which involves contact with the public, such as health and social care, retail, warehousing etc.
The will be approximately eight hours in duration and a Certificate Accredited by First in Training and Consultancy will be awarded upon successful course completion.
You will learn about the chain of infection, sources of micro-organisms, routes of transmission and possible susceptible host.
Participants will also be taught about the appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and standard infection control precautions.