Services

Things may look a little different within each library location as we follow Public Health guidelines.

What we are doing to keep you safe:

• Maintaining 2 metres of distance between each other.
• Providing sanitizer at library entrances.
• Following cleaning and disinfecting protocols outlined by Public Health.
• Occupancy will be limited to maintain social distancing.

What we are asking you to do:

• Do not enter the library if you currently have or recently had a fever, cough, shortness of breath, or are feeling unwell.
• Keep your hands clean. Hand sanitizer will be provided throughout the library and should be used upon entry to the library.
• Maintain at least 2 metres of distance from others.
• Wear a face covering over your nose and mouth while inside the library.
• Follow all directional signs and floor markings.
• Limit your time in the library and minimize touching of materials and surfaces.
• No eating or drinking in any library locations.

All of our online services are still available and can be accessed from anywhere using your library card. Our digital resources are located by clicking on the links to eLibrary, eResources, or eLearning on our website. Enjoy 24/7 access to eBooks, eAudiobooks, movies, music, and courses. 

We are also offering virtual programs. Check out our events calendar and virtual programming page for a growing list of what we have on offer.

The interlibrary loan service is available for books, audiobooks and microfilm (only from the Archives of Ontario).

Library staff are available to provide help and assistance in-person or over our online chat service from Monday to Thursday 9 am to 8 pm, Friday & Saturday 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday 1 pm to 5 pm.

1. Place holds on library materials through the library's catalogue or phone library staff at 519-824-6220 for help choosing materials. Walk ups to the library will also be accepted. Please limit your holds to one library card per family to ensure the health and safety of library staff and customers.
2. You will be notified when your items are ready either through email, text or a phone call depending on your library account setup. No appointment is required to pick up your holds.
3. Drop by any library location during regular hours. Wait in the designated spots by the library entrance. Please have your library card ready to be shown. A due date receipt will be included with your items. All materials are checked out for their regular loan periods.

Can I use library computers?

During the provincewide shutdown library computers are not available for use.

During the provincewide shutdown, only the Main Library is able to provide wireless printing services. 

1. Submit your prints before you visit the Main Library.
2. Double-check that your print was sent to the correct email address. 
3. Visit the Main Library to pick up your prints.
4. Provide library staff with the email address you used to submit your prints. Staff will release your prints on your behalf.
5. Pay for your prints using debit/credit or cash. 

Guelph Public Library Assists with COVID-19 Vaccine Pre-Registration

Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health (WDGPH) now has a COVID-19 vaccine pre-registration website for eligible priority groups only. The online booking system is the quickest way to pre-register for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment and is how Public Health will contact you to book your appointment as vaccine supplies becomes available. You must have an email address to pre-register using the online booking system.

If you do not have an email address and do not have a family member or friend to assist you by providing an email address, you must phone Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health at 1-844-780-0202 to book an appointment. Call volumes are extremely high so please be patient and expect significant time delays.

Your Guelph Public Library is here to help.

Any Guelph residents in the eligible priority groups who require assistance completing the online pre-registration form can phone any Guelph Public Library location during open hours for one-on-one help.

Before phoning the library, you will need the following information:

• Your contact information including address
• A phone number (optional)
• An email address (required)
• Your health card number
• About your position and role (for occupation-based priority groups)

Pre-registration does not indicate you will get an appointment immediately. When vaccines become available for your group, Public Health will use the contact information you provided in your pre-registration to send you an email and/or text message. This email and/or text message will include a website link and unique code so that you can schedule an appointment to receive your first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Be sure to check your email junk and spam folders frequently.

Public health offers pre-registration troubleshooting help and online appointment booking instructions. 

You can book an appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccine only after you pre-register and receive your unique Internal Database ID. Once you receive your Internal Database ID (this can range from 6 to 14 digits), you may book your vaccination appointment. 

We are asking you to only return materials in library book drops. We will not be accepting returns at our service desks because we need to quarantine materials before handling them.

Book drops at all locations (with the exception of the West End Branch and Bookmobile community stops) will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your convenience. West End Branch's book drop will be open outside of library operating hours, when the West End Community Centre is open.

As returned items are quarantined for at least 24 hours, they will remain checked out on your account during that time. Please wait 5 days before contacting the Library with any concerns related to these returned items. For you, this change means a better library experience - you won’t have to wait as long for library materials - while maintaining everyone’s health and safety.

All material received at the Library is quarantined for at least 24 hours before it is handled again. This process exceeds recommended standards for handling books, paper and plastic.

The library continues to evolve and adjust our plans as new information comes to light and public health measures change. We closely monitor the developments related to COVID-19 and we continue to use an evidence-based approach to inform decisions around the relaunch of our services and safety protocols. According to the latest scientific evidence, the risk of transmission of the COVID-19 virus through inanimate surfaces (such as library materials) is very unlikely.

At the beginning of the pandemic, out of an abundance of caution, Guelph Public Library quarantined library materials as it was unclear how the COVID-19 virus was transmitted. Frequent handwashing or sanitizing, wearing a mask and maintaining physical distance of at least two metres remain the best defence against the virus.

You continue to have free and unlimited use of our online digital resources with your library card where you can stream music and movies, take an online course, borrow an eAudiobook or eBook, browse magazines, take a craft workshop and much more.

For your interest, below are resource links to further reading as it pertains to surface transmission of COVID-19:

• Exaggerated Risk of Transmission of COVID-19 by Fomites
• BC Centre for Disease Control on Libraries
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention – How COVID-19 Spreads
• Wired - It’s Time to Talk About COVID-19 and Surfaces Again
• The Atlantic - The Scourge of Hygiene Theater

Items returned late are subject to overdue fines.

Items signed out are loaned for their usual loan periods. Please return your borrowed items using book drops at all library locations.