This time last year we were starting to hear about this possible pandemic. There have been various scares so at first I wasn’t that concerned. But as we approached March 21 things started to happen very quickly and we were asked to close by public health.

It broke my heart to have to close with no knowledge of when we might be able to reopen. We all hoped it would be a three month lockdown and then life could return to ‘normal’.

We became very good at closing down and reopening libraries and cafes. By lockdown two, the government had accepted that library services are essential and staff are key workers. So we were able to keep York, Acomb and Tang Hall open for PC access and click and collect. This provided a lifeline to those without access to the internet at home.

Most of our staff were put on furlough and have spent most of the year at home. We ensured that we kept in contact with them all so they knew what was happening. Training was allowed on furlough and many of our staff took the opportunity to learn new skills.

Once we had closed down, we turned our attention to our online services. We received Arts Council funding to help us build on the successful Explore Labs work. We also received government funding to increase the number of ebooks we have - it has been great to see so many people discover these: we hope that they will continue to borrow them after we have reopened.

One of the most impressive online services we offered was PressReader. This provides library members with free access to thousands of newspapers and magazines from around the world and in different languages, and allowed us to read how different countries were dealing with the pandemic.

We now look forward to reopening on April 12. Cafes, meanwhile, will reopen on May 17, although Rowntree Park has been open throughout. By June/July, we hope to be able to offer some face to face events, maybe a storytime, but this will be dependent on government advice.

We are beginning to think about the future and how Explore might change as a result of the pandemic. Our online offer was developing, but the pandemic gave it a huge boost. Our YouTube channel’s content grows every week and there are films for everyone. We are hosting poetry evenings online which are getting bigger audiences than when held in York Explore.

The pandemic showed how important it is to be online.

But libraries are ultimately all about bringing people together. Through the pandemic we found ways to keep on doing that online. In April we will be able to get back to doing that face to face.

Fiona Williams is Chief Execurive of York Explore Libraries and Archives Mutual