The Weyburn Public Library has announced a closure beginning at the end of today, with a reopen date set for April 19th. This is due to the recent state of emergency announced by the province yesterday.

Branch Manager Matthew Rankin said those who wish to borrow items before tomorrow have until 8:30 p.m. today. to stop by, use the computers, or make photocopies.

"Right now, what's been decided by Southeast Regiona HQ is that, if an item has a three-week loan period, it'll be extended to six weeks, so well beyond what the closure dates will be, and there'll be updates periodically with what's happening for other materials."

"Basically there will be no fines during this period, so there's nothing people need to worry about," he noted.

He added they'll also be closing their blue item-return bin, and are therefore asking patrons to hold onto the items until the library reopens on April 19th.

Rankin said a few days ago the WPL made a Facebook post with e-resources they recommend for families interested in accessing information.

"Tumblebooks, which is one of our online resources, so if you have younger kids, it reads stories to them, either through a browser or through the app," he explained.

He said they offer access e-books, audio books and other resources like online databases, including Encyclopedia Brittanica.

"We have the Canadian Online, which deals primarily with Canadian history," Rankin noted. "Master File Premiere, which is more for older kids, but it has magazines, reference books, stuff like that. E-library Canada, which is a reference database aimed at Canadian school kids, so if you wanted to research a particular topic while they're out of school, you can definitely do that."

Rankin added they'll be regularly updating their Facebook page about the system, with various e-resources, and even possibly some virtual childrens' programming. Find the link HERE.