The above sites delivering a library service on behalf of Herefordshire Council have been closed since March 20th 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. In recent months they have been offering a click and collect service in line with national regulations. In line with government guidance, libraries are allowed to open to the public again from 12th April. A link to the guidance is below

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do

The national professional body, Libraries Connected, has worked with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport as well as Public Health England, to produce a library recovery toolkit. This has been adopted as best practice across England and recommends a phased reintroduction of library services.

At this stage, national guidance recommends library use is time limited and restricted to returning, browsing and borrowing items and for pre-booked sessions using the public access computers.

In addition, the libraries will be a collection point for green garden waste sacks that have been pre-ordered and paid for via the Herefordshire Council website.

At this stage the opening hours for the four sites will be as follows :

Hereford : Tuesday – Friday 10.00 – 12.00 and 14.00 – 16.00, Saturday 10.00 – 12.00

Leominster, Ledbury and Ross : Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 10.00-12.00 and 14.00-16.00, Saturday 10.00 – 12.00

Hereford, Leominster and Ross will re-open the week beginning 12th April 2021. Ledbury library will re-open the week beginning 19 April 2021. This is because it is being used as a Lateral Flow Testing venue until Friday 9 April. The following week will be required to remove the infrastructure of the testing venue and prepare the library for re-opening.

The reintroduction of the service at these four sites will be extended as regulations allow and other library sites will be opened as soon as is safely possible.

Herefordshire Library Service has worked with the relevant other Council Departments to ensure due process is followed to provide the service in a manner that is safe for staff and customers.