As the coronavirus pandemic upended the lives of every Tasmanian last month, the Launceston Library recorded a massive spike in online book and resource downloads.
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"In March there was about a 28 per cent increase in the downloading of books and other resources," Launceston Library manager Garry Conroy-Cooper confirmed.
"It'll be really interesting to see what the end of April shows us because that will be a complete month of physical closure."
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The Library was forced to shut its physical site in response to government bans which aimed to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
"Because we were able to put out 48 hours notice that we were closing due to public health requirements there was a massive rush across our libraries, across the whole of Tasmania," Mr Conroy-Cooper explained.
"There was a massive exodus of physical book stock."
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To help people cope with the prospect of prolonged periods of social isolation, Mr Conroy-Cooper said the Library made some significant policy changes.
"We doubled the length of time that people could borrow," he advised.
"We weren't too worried about overdue books or anything like that. We don't have fees for overdues.
"We'll continue that regime until we physically reopen again at some point in the future."
Mr Conroy-Cooper said despite the closure of its physical site, the Library had always been open online to everyone.
"Roughly 50 per cent of our clients engage with us online and 50 per cent tend to come into the physical libraries," he said.
"There's lots of things you can access online where you don't need membership.
"You can actually even now join online and that will give you an online membership until June 30."
Music, newspapers, films, magazines and books are among the most popular resources people access online, according to Mr Conroy-Cooper.
"Everything is free through Libraries Tasmania, if you don't have a membership card you just apply online and it operates straight away," Mr Conroy-Cooper said.
Social media was also a channel the Library had successfully used to remain accessible to children and families online.
"Through our Facebook page we are delivering storytelling and rock and rhyme online," Mr Conroy-Cooper said.
"I think the Wednesday session that our staff did reached 10,000 people on Facebook."
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Ryan Young
Journalist at The Examiner in Launceston via the Daily Liberal at Dubbo.
Journalist at The Examiner in Launceston via the Daily Liberal at Dubbo.
