The Castlegar and District Public Library will be temporarily closed until further notice after a sewer backup damaged the children's area of the library.
The water damage was discovered on Sunday (March 23) and the library's director Alexandra Seaborn says she is thankful that no books were damaged in the incident.
The damage is contained mostly to the floors and walls in the children's section.
The library is a city-owned facility and city staff are assessing the damage and working to create a repair plan.
“We understand how important the library is to the community and are working quickly to assess the damage and develop a plan for repair,” said Chris Hallam, Director of Municipal Services for the City of Castlegar. “Public safety is our top priority, and we’re committed to ensuring the facility is safe, clean, and ready to welcome people back as soon as possible.”
While the library is closed, staff will be rearranging some areas to ensure part of the children's collection is still accessible, according to Seaborn.
More updates are expected once a thorough assessment has been completed.
In the meantime, the library's online services will remain operational at castlegar.bc.libraries.coop. This includes borrowing digital books, audio books and periodicals as well as accessing research and educational digital resources.
If you need assistance with the digital resources, email info@castlegarlibrary.com or call the library at 250-365-6611, although calls will be answered on a limited basis during repairs.
