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LOCHABER LAKE - The chief executive officer of the Eastern Counties Regional Library is hopeful that a "soft re-opening" can reintroduce the library network's branches and services to the public, after a three-month shutdown that accompanied the arrival of COVID-19 and social-distancing protocols in Nova Scotia. 

Laura Emery spoke with optimism about the plans for ECRL branches in Petit de Grat, St. Peter's, Port Hawkesbury, Port Hood, Margaree Forks, Mulgrave and Canso, which include an increased emphasis on e-services such as book-holds, pre-approved 30-minute visits for library customers, and curbside drop-off and pick-ups for books, CDs, DVDs and other library supplies. 

While Emery and her staff would normally discuss such plans at the ECRL headquarters in Mulgrave, that branch - like so many others around the Strait Area and across Nova Scotia - remained silent throughout the spring, as Nova Scotia's state of emergency forced many public services such as libraries to close their doors. Emery herself has been working from her home office in Lochaber Lake, Antigonish County. 

While the ECRL will not be able to hold such traditional activities as its used book sale, which typically ties into Mulgrave's Scotia Days festival in July, Emery is optimistic that such online resources as the TD Summer Reading Program will combine with the ECRL's offerings to encourage people of all ages, especially children and families, to keep strengthening their minds and finding the true joy of reading.

"It's more crucial than ever, this summer, for kids to read, especially after the school year that they've just had," Emery suggested.