All Derbyshire libraries are closed until further notice

All 45 Derbyshire County Council-run libraries, the Buxton Museum and Art Gallery and the Derbyshire Record Office in Matlock are to temporarily close at 5pm today (Friday 20th March) to protect staff and customers using the services from the risk of coronavirus and to help to prevent its spread.

The council’s two mobile libraries will also be taken off the road for the foreseeable future.

A date has not been set for the services to re-open but it is estimated they could remain closed for at least 12 weeks.

Library customers who have borrowed items from their library are being advised to hold on to them until they can return them when their local service re-opens. All fines will be waived.

The council’s Libraries for Derbyshire programme, which is in the process of transferring some libraries over to community management, will pause until the coronavirus outbreak has subsided.

The pause in transferring libraries over to communities includes the planned transfer of Woodville Library, which was due to take place on 17th April 2020. The postponement has been agreed with the community group concerned.

There’s a wealth of books, newspapers and magazines online and customers can find out how to access these and other information by going to derbyshire.gov.uk/libraries and register using their library card, if they haven’t already signed up.

People can also still access online information and resources from the Buxton Museum and Art Gallery and the Derbyshire Record Office by going to:

derbyshire.gov.uk/recordoffice

derbyshire.gov.uk/buxtonmuseum

Derbyshire County Council Leader Councillor Barry Lewis said: “We appreciate that libraries are regarded as a valuable community resource and we are sorry to have to take this significant action but we trust residents will understand that we have had to make this difficult decision to protect the health and well-being of residents, communities and staff.”