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Hayfield and Whaley Bridge libraries reopen

Hayfield and Whaley Bridge libraries are the latest in the High Peak to reopen their doors for the first time since the Covid-19 lockdown.

They are two of seven across Derbyshire which reopened on Monday (21 September). 

The county council say it has adopted a phased approach to reopening all 45 of its libraries, starting with the larger branches. By the end of the month, all but Wingerworth Library - which is owned by the parish council - will be back open and allowing customers to browse shelves and choose books. 

The council add that customers using Whaley Bridge library on Market Street will have to book an appointment to visit due to the layout of the building, as numbers need to be limited at any one time to ensure people can adhere to social distancing guidelines.

It means that six libraries in the High Peak are now open - with Glossop, Buxton, Chapel-en-le-Frith and New Mills libraries already open. 

Gamesley and Hadfield libraries will be among 12 set to reopen next Monday, 28 September. 

They all have the same opening hours - 10am to 4pm - Monday to Friday and 10am to 2pm on Saturdays, until further notice. 

While customers can now browse the shelves at re-opened libraries, use of computers must still be booked by contacting the library direct by phone.

People are being asked to return books they have borrowed on their next visit to their library, and the three week loan period will shortly be re-introduced. For the latest information on returns, people should go to www.derbyshire.gov.uk/libraries.

Cllr Barry Lewis, DCC Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Leadership, Culture and Tourism, said: "To be in a position where all but one of our libraries will shortly be re-opened is fantastic news and I’m sure our library users across the county will really welcome this.

"We have opened the libraries in this phased way to ensure customer and staff safety, which is always our priority. We have looked at what has worked well and made sure this has been passed on as more libraries start to re-open, and this has made it a smooth, safe process, and with each library opening it’s felt like another step towards getting the service back to normal."

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