Burlington Public Library continues to open up in September
Visit five library branches city-wide for walk-in services—browse & borrow, holds pick-up, and computers by appointment—at Aldershot, Alton, Brant Hills, New Appleby, and Tansley Woods. Central branch is open for holds pick-up and computers by appointment only. Occupancy is limited by location to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. This is our current reopening plan and is subject to change. Keep up-to-date here.
NEW hours
Open every day
- Monday to Friday: 10am to 7pm
- Saturday: 9am to 5pm
- Sunday: Noon to 5pm
- Closed holidays; Contact Us service by email is closed on Sunday and holidays.
More great news:
- Fine-free loans for the rest of 2020
- Borrow movies & TV series longer (up to three-week loans & renewals) until Dec 31
Branch services
|
Branch |
Holds |
Computer by Appointment |
Browse & Borrow |
Work/Study |
Programs |
Room Rental |
|
Aldershot |
Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
|
Alton |
Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
|
Brant Hills |
Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
|
Central |
Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
|
New Appleby |
Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
|
Tansley Woods |
Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Your library visit
We want you to have a good experience when you come to the library. Our goal is for you to feel welcome as we all adjust to a new way of doing business.
- Face masks: A properly worn face mask or covering is required attire inside the library, unless an exemption in the City of Burlington Mask By-Law applies to you. On arrival, we will provide you with a free disposable mask to wear if you don't have your own.
- Short visits: Due to occupancy limitations, please keep your 'browse & borrow' visit to an hour or less as a courtesy to others who are waiting.
- Contact tracing: Please provide your library card or phone number when requested on arrival. This information will be used for contact tracing purposes only if necessary.
Using the library
Returns & overdue fines
- Return library items to any branch 24-hour outdoor drop box. There are no fines for overdue items.
- All returned items are in quarantine for 72-hours before check-in.
- Allow 7-10 weekdays (excluding holidays) to process returned items. It could take longer. Please wait and check your online account first before contacting us after this processing period.
- Due to system constraints, automated notifications continue to send as usual. We apologize for any confusion this may cause.
Holds
- Please check that all your hold items have the correct pick-up location in your My BPL account. You may need to change the pick-up location.
- Kilbride customers: your temporary holds pick-up location is Tansley Woods.
- We are currently processing a large volume of holds, and appreciate your patience.
- Placing a hold does not mean that the item is ready for pick-up. Please wait until you receive an email or phone notification before coming to pick-up an item on hold.
- You have 8 open days to retrieve your holds once you've been notified by email or phone.
Computer & printer access
- Use a computer at our open locations: 45-minute sessions are available by appointment only.
- Book a session online through bpl.on.ca, or call 905.639.3611
- Book up to eight sessions in the current 30-day period. After the first eight bookings in this period, any additional appointments will be cancelled.
- All appointments start precisely on the hour, so please arrive 5-10 minutes before the session. Computers automatically shut down 45-minutes after the scheduled start time.
- To use a library printer, you must first reserve a computer session—no on-demand printer access available. Cash payment is possible through the printer only.
If you have a question or need help using the library, please call us at 905.639.3611 during library open hours, or contact us online. Thank you for your ongoing patience, understanding, and support during BPL’s closure and changes in hours, services as we continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Taking steps to keep you & our community safe
- Limiting the number of customers inside
- Practicing physical distancing whenever possible
- Extra cleaning everywhere, especially in high-touch and common areas
- Computers, keyboards, and workstations are cleaned after every session
- Providing hand sanitizer stations at all entrances
- Wearing masks
- Wearing face shields when working directly with customers
- Controlling the flow of traffic inside
- Controlled access to public washrooms, computers, photocopier/printers to enable potential contact tracing if needed
- Extending the holds pick-up period to 8 open days to reduce lineups and allow more time to move items between branches
- Quarantining items for 72 hours when returned
- Reducing service points and open hours to optimize cleaning and work processes
- Staff self-assess their health before coming into work.
- No library programs or room rental
Service limitations:
- Online programs only: Burlington Reads @Home, Next Best Read sessions through City of Burlington TelePALS
- Access to computers and printers by appointment only
- No access to microfilm/microfiche, newspapers, Express or other collections, makerspace, inside return slots
- No loaning out of magazines, Seed Library packets, children's Theme Kits, Cognitive Care Kits, or devices: eReaders, Launchpads, Fitbits, iPads
- No Visiting Library Services or Interlibrary Loan service
Related links
Frequently Asked Questions about reopening, returns etc.
Watch this video to learn the official "Hurray the library is open again!" dance moves
City of Burlington Mask By-law 62-2020
COVID-19: Get the Information You Need