Following the Scottish Government announcement on Saturday and with Scotland moving into Tier 4 from Saturday 26 December, Culture Perth and Kinross is temporarily halting public admission to all its archives, libraries, museums and galleries until further notice.
Culture Perth and Kinross will continue to monitor this situation in discussion with Perth and Kinross Council as the situation is fast-moving, and dates are likely to change at short notice.
Helen Smout, CEO of Culture Perth and Kinross said: “It will sadden me to see our doors close and to know it may be some time before they reopen again. Moving into Tier 4 is a disappointing yet necessary move in the fight against the Coronavirus and we must keep our customers and staff as safe as we can. In the meantime, our libraries in Blairgowrie, Breadalbane and the AK Bell in Perth remain open until 23rd December, and I would encourage any customers wishing to take out books to do so before we shut our doors for Christmas. We also remain very much open for business online throughout the festive period and beyond with a wide range of free digital resources available for use, including e-books, e-audiobooks, e-magazines and newspapers. We’ve also launched a brand-new website CPK Play which is an exciting addition to our online offer with creative and inspiring activities to complete, projects and topics to explore.”
Library users are reminded that Library book loan deadlines will be suspended and there are no fines until the end of March 2021 so no one should worry about holding onto their library books until services can reopen. Library users can continue to access the wide range of online resources for free with their library cards. If you are not a library member, you can sign up online today https://www.culturepk.org.uk/libraries/join-the-library/
The new CPKPlay website invites people to be playful and explore collections and resources which it is otherwise difficult to do in venues and whilst these are closed. Resources can easily be downloaded from the website for use at home and can be used to complement home-schooling activities. The website also offers a rich resource for schools, nurseries and out of school care clubs who are not able to make their usual visits to the libraries, archives and museums run by Culture Perth and Kinross.
CPK Play can be found here https://cpkplay.co.uk/
Culture Perth and Kinross will continue to monitor the guidance from the Scottish Government and Public Health institutions and will post further updates on its website and social media pages in the new year.