BURY libraries are extending their opening hours to allow more time for borrowers to access them.

From Wednesday, June 9, all four branches in Bury, Radcliffe, Prestwich and Ramsbottom will have the following opening hours:

Tuesdays - 10am to noon and 1pm to 4pm

Wednesdays - 10am to noon and 1pm to 4pm

Thursdays - 1pm to 4pm and 5pm to 7pm

Fridays - 10am to noon and 1pm to 4pm

In order to maintain social distancing, each library will only be able to allow a limited number of people in at any one time.

Customers will be greeted at the library entrance by a member of staff who will explain the procedures for browsing. Customers will be asked to sanitise their hands on entry and it is compulsory to wear a face covering when visiting the library; customers will also need to provide contact details for the Test and Trace programme. All returned items will be quarantined for 72 hours before returning to the library shelves.

All libraries will continue to offer the Order & Collect service. Launched last year, this service enables customers to choose their books online and pick them up when they are ready. To use the Order and Collect service contact your local library or go to www.bury.gov.uk/orderbooks.

Limited public access to computers is also available at all libraries - to book a session, contact the library directly.

During the pandemic there has been a substantial increase in the use of online library services, and these will continue to be offered. For details of the e-book, e-audio and e-magazine services visit: bury.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=15336

For youngsters, libraries also offer online Rhyme Time and Story