Hanover Public Library is monitoring the outbreak of COVID-19. Daily reports on the status of cases are available from Grey Bruce Public Health Homepage. See that here https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/

Our organization will follow recommendations and guidance from The Grey Bruce Public Health Unit, The Town of Hanover, The Province of Ontario, and the Government of Canada during this ongoing situation.

Restarting Library Services

All in-person library services and programmes are cancelled. The library will be closed to the public effective Dec. 29 for the province wide shutdown. Curbside service will remain available.

Curbside pick up of library material and membership services are available. You can get a card, upgrade a digital card or renew an existing library card at a membership services appointment, and the drop box is open for returning material. See news https://hanoverlibrary.ca/news/restarting-library-services-curbside-pickup/

Other ways we can help:

• Keep people informed by providing accurate, up to date and reliable information resources (below)
• Entertain and educate people who are staying at home with our online book, magazine, audio and video resources
• We can issue digital memberships to Hanover residents so they can use our online resources. Learn how to get a digital library membership: https://hanoverlibrary.ca/loan-policies/membership/
• We can provide references services. Library staff will answer phone calls and emails during business hours. Staff will return all calls and emails.
• Inform and encourage staff and the public to practice good hand washing and other ways to keep yourself safe

Library Response to COVID-19:

All in-person library services and programmes are cancelled. The library will be closed to the public effective Dec. 29 for the province wide shutdown. Curbside service will be available.

Our online services are always available. You can explore our ebooks, audiobooks, movies, music and more through https://hanoverlibrary.ca/e-resources/ All you need is your library card number.

This page will be updated throughout this developing situation. 

Remember, do your part to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• Wash your hands often and well.
• Avoid touching your face, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Wear a mask in public places.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces and equipment.
• Stay at home and away from others if you are feeling unwell.
• You must self-isolate for 14 days when you return from travelling.

Resources

The following are trusted resources to keep yourself informed and find supports for yourself, family and friends during COVID-19.

Local Businesses and Services

Businesses adapting to serve Hanover bit.ly/InThisTogetherHanover

Grey County businesses & services map
https://grey.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=e9e96e39335d48e69b08c9473498293f

Ontario – essential workplaces and business restrictions https://www.ontario.ca/page/list-essential-workplaces

Community Supports

Help for seniors and vulnerable people to get meals or essentials delivered https://www.ontariocommunitysupport.ca/

The Do connects people who need assistance with people wanting to volunteer http://www.thedo.ca/

Mental Health Resources

Wellness Together Canada: Mental Health and Substance Use Support https://ca.portal.gs/

Mental health and the COVID-19 pandemic http://www.camh.ca/covid19

Grey Bruce Public Health Unit

COVID-19 health line 1-800-263-3456 ext. 3000

Grey Bruce Public Health Unit Web page https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/

Grey Bruce Public Health Unit COVID-19 Information Page https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/COVID-19

Face masks required in indoor locations https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/About-Us/MOH-Class-Orders

FAQ for wearing masks and face coverings

Outbreaks in hospitals and seniors homes https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/Your-Health/Infectious-Diseases/Outbreaks

Talking to Kids about COVID-19

Province of Ontario

Ontario Telehealth Phone number 1-866-797-0000

Status of cases in Ontario, affected areas, symptoms, testing and advice https://covid-19.ontario.ca/

Detailed case data for Ontario. Graphs and tables of COVID-19 data by status, location, infection source, age, gender, hospitalizations and number of tests. https://covid-19.ontario.ca/data

Coronavirus information in other languages
https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-stop-spread#section-5

Government of Canada

Current national outbreak updates, risk information and other resources
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection.html

World Health Organization

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Hand Hygiene tips

The best way to protect yourself and others, with video
https://www.publichealthgreybruce.on.ca/Your-Health/Infectious-Diseases/Hand-Hygiene

Further research & reading

Know the risks of COVID and how to avoid them https://www.erinbromage.com/post/the-risks-know-them-avoid-them

Curbside Pickup is available

The Library is here for you during this province wide shutdown. To help keep you learning and entertained, Hanover Public Library is pleased to announce that curbside pickup library material is available. To borrow library materials using curbside pickup you must have a Hanover Library card.

If you need to get a library card or renew a library card please call or email the library.

How it Works

Requesting items

• Request items using the library’s online Koha catalogue or by email or by phone 519-364-1420.
• Don’t have an online account set up? Call or email us to help you.
• See instructions on How to place holds on Koha

Not sure what to request? Ask us for a GRAB BAG. Let us know by phone or email what you want, for example 3 Western novels, books on Lawn Care and Growing Annuals, or 5 Picture Books and we’ll pick a selection for you. 

Arranging Pickup

Pickup is by appointment only.

Pickup times will be arranged in advance by library staff or through the online booking system Appointlet.

How to make a pick up appointment with the online booking system Appointlet

• When you receive your e-mail notification that an item you had placed on hold is ready for pick-up, there will be a link to the library’s Appointlet system. Click on the link.
• Enter your name and e-mail address. Select a time you wish to pick up.
• Appointlet confirms time with you, and offer options to add to several online calendars (this is not required).
• You will receive a confirmation email with your chosen time slot. If you need to reschedule or cancel, the confirmation e-mail has a link so you can do that easily.
• Your confirmation email will also give you instructions for curbside pickup.

People who are staying safe at home can send a friend to collect their items.

Curbside Pickup Process

At the appointed pick-up time, physical distancing measures must be complied with. Staff will be wearing gloves, masks and other protective gear for everyone’s safety.

Please arrive at the agreed time. Pick up will take place outdoors on the east (Clock Tower) side of the building.

If driving, remain in your vehicle, and open trunk or a rear window away from the people inside. Staff will bring your materials, marked with your name. Nod to confirm that is your parcel. Staff will place it in your vehicle.

If you are walking, cycling, or using other means to travel to the library, please wait by curbside pickup sign. Your items will be placed on a table with your name showing, then staff will return to the building. Once staff are inside the building, you may pick up your package from the table.

The Hanover Civic Centre building is closed. Please do not approach staff or enter the building. Maintain at least 6′ (2m) distance from others, and we request that you wear a face covering.

Returning borrowed items

Returning items must be returned through the library drop box beside the West (10th Avenue) entrance only. This is to keep the items separate, to be quarantined until they are safe to handle. 

No returns will be accepted at the pick up appointment.

COVID-19 Precautions and Disclaimer

• The COVID-19 virus can survive up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to 2-3 days on plastic and stainless steel. As books cannot be effectively cleaned and disinfected at home, it may be wise to store books for a minimum of 24 hours before handling them.
• Patrons who are immune compromised or otherwise susceptible to COVID-19 infection should not take out items from the library.
• Patrons should wash hands before and after handling books and other items, avoid touching their faces while reading and avoid sneezing or coughing onto the page while reading.
• Items returned to the library are disinfected (covers only) and quarantined for 3 days on return.
• Staff handling items to go out to members will wear masks and gloves.

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Please note:  These services are subject to Provincial reopening guidelines, local health advice and municipal guidelines.  If the situation changes the service may be suspended or changed. We will keep people informed through local newspaper, radio, Wightman TV, emails and social media.

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From The Hanover Post December 3rd, 2020 issue, Opinion Page

“Books are sometimes windows, offering views of worlds that may be real or imagined, familiar or strange. These windows are also sliding glass doors, and readers have only to walk through in imagination to become part of whatever world has been created and recreated by the author. When lighting conditions are just right, however, a window can also be a mirror. Literature transforms human experience and reflects it back to us, and in that reflection we can see our own lives and experiences as part of the larger human experience.”

Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop

We can all see that hatred, intolerance, and bigotry exist in the world as destructive forces – and they also exist here in Canada. We are not immune to these insidious attitudes.  So what is the antidote to bigotry? How does a society nurture fairness and acceptance for all?

I often hear that education is the key, but I would be more specific: reading is the key to developing empathy and understanding. The folksinger Pete Seeger had the words “This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender” painted on his banjo.

I often think the same can be said for public libraries and the books they contain. When you read, you enter the mind of another. You see the world through their eyes. You feel their feelings, experience their life as they reveal it to you. When we read books that are about lives, cultures, and experiences different to our own, we take that new understanding into ourselves and it becomes part of us. This can begin when we are very young, and minds and hearts that have been opened by reading will not close against those who are different from us. Books are empathy generators.

If you would like to begin to bring more diversity into your reading, the library staff can help. You can read excellent books – both fiction and non-fiction – by authors of many cultures, nations, genders, and ways of thinking. Want to read about what it’s like to be autistic? Try Mark Haddon’s “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time” or John Elder Robison’s “Look Me in the Eye”. Works by Canadian indigenous writers have surged onto the bestseller lists: from Richard Wagamese to Eden Robinson to Thomas King, you can read and experience life from a First Nations perspective. Writers of Asian ancestry like Roselle Lim, Kevin Kwan, and Souvankham Thammavongsa, winner of this year’s Giller Prize, are making waves in publishing as well. Mark Sakamoto’s “Forgiveness” is a top favourite among book clubs everywhere. Books by Toni Morrison, Colson Whitehead, Esi Edugyan, and Jesmyn Ward can show you how the world looks from the Black perspective. And wonderful books like “Let Me Tell You My Story” can tell you what it’s like to come to North America as a refugee with nothing but hope and courage.

Books can be mirrors, helping us to understand our own lives and experiences; but they can also be windows, through which we can see other lives, other experiences, and our common humanity. We at the library invite you to come look through some windows. The view is breathtaking.

Check out the following booklists for some reading inspiration.

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Thank you for showing us your love! Your support allowed us to raise $6225! These funds allow us to support our programmes, grow our lending collections and develop new collections.

The campaign is officially over but we can still accept donations any time of the year. Thank you again for your support!

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Today’s libraries strengthen communities and transform lives every day. Beyond well-loved books, many libraries offer innovative programmes that promote lifelong learning, connect patrons to technology, and advance knowledge.  Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hanover Public Library continues to provide these services, with some modifications to delivery methods for the safety of all.  

Please join the Hanover Public Library for our  Love Your Library  campaign. This online fundraising event is taking the place of our semi-annual Library Art Gala that was all set to go before our world changed.  We were planning to provide art for sale, play music, serve hors d’oeuvres, as well as wine and beer  – all for a memorable social event.

Instead, we encourage local businesses, patrons and library lovers to make a financial gift in support of our library by visiting us at our website: hanoverlibrary.ca and click on the DONATE NOW button. If you prefer, you can donate directly to the library using e-transfer on your banking app, or by dropping off a cheque made out to Hanover Public Library in our book drop slot.  The library is a registered charity, so tax receipts will be issued for donations greater than $10.

If you are grateful for the presence of the library in your community, show it some love this Ontario Public Library Week!

Call (519) 364-1420 or e-mail hanpub@hanover.ca for more information.
Thank you for loving your library.

Susan Sakal
Chair,  Fundraising Committee of the Hanover Public Library Board

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Dear Hanover Library supporters and friends,

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations have been forced to cancel their most important fundraising events. The Hanover Public Library is one of these non-profit organizations. Patrons have told us often that they value our library. In fact, our staff has been working hard during the pandemic to continue to support our community through live streaming, phone calls, curb side pickups, etc.

It is our wish that we can continue to do so, but our loss of income has been substantial. Our annual June Book sale brings in approximately $4,000, our library art gala earns approximately $8,000 and the Donation Box that sits on the Information Desk in the library receives regular donations from patrons who pick up used paperbacks, from those who use our wifi and to others who are thankful for computer assistance.

We know that for some, these times are tough financially, but if you can donate, every little bit helps our library. We thank you in advance for your kind consideration in this matter.  

Hanover Public Library is a charity. Donation receipts will be issued for amounts greater than $10.

 Please make your cheque payable to: Hanover Public Library, 451 10^th Ave., Hanover, ON N4N 2P1  Attention:  Agnes Rivers-Moore.

With thanks,

The Hanover Public Library Board