Traffic Light Updates

Office Hours Update

Kia ora BDS Whānau,

We are pleased to let you know that from Tuesday 7 June BDS office hours in Christchurch will return to normal:

9:00AM-5:00PM Mon-Fri

We now feel confident that we have enough recovered staff to cover any future isolation/illness. Thank you for your understanding during this time. We ask that you continue to wear a mask when visiting the office and maintain 1m distance from staff and other members.

Orange Light Update

Kia ora BDS Whānau,

We are pleased to let you know that under Orange Light settings, from Tuesday 19 April BDS office hours in Christchurch will be extended to:

10:00AM-4:00PM Mon-Fri

We hope this assists your group in arranging the pick-up and return of books. Outside these hours, the after hours drop box is still available for returns. If you have a query that can be resolved via email or phone, please continue to do this as our on-site staff will still be limited.

Thank you for your understanding during this time as we've worked to protect the health and wellbeing of BDS staff and ensured an uninterrupted service to our 1,300 book clubs across the country. 

Red Light Settings

Kia ora Whānau,

We hope you are all staying strong as we enter this new phase in our fight against COVID-19. As you'll likely be aware, one of the biggest challenges our country is facing is labour shortages due to the number of infections and close contacts the Omicron variant creates. In order to keep your book club reads coming, BDS have re-jigged our staff roster. This will greatly limit contact between staff members and hopefully ensure our small team can continue to function if any of us find ourselves in isolation.

Here's what that means for our Christchurch groups:

• Please only come to the office to pick up or drop off books. We ask that any other queries be dealt with over the phone or via email. Remember you can also do a lot online by logging into the convenor section of the website: check your meeting dates, update your group numbers, check overdues etc.
• Pick up hours are now limited due to the small number of staff in the office. You can drop off books during this time or anytime via the after hours drop box.

From Monday 31 Jan pick up hours will be:

Monday 2:00PM - 4:00PM
Tuesday 11:00am - 2:00PM
Wednesday 2:00PM - 4:00PM
Thursday 11:00am - 2:00PM
Friday 2:00PM - 4:00PM

• When picking up books, please wear a mask, sign in, and maintain at least 1m distance from anyone else doing the same. Even better, wait until the first person has collected their books before entering the building.
• Any staff onsite will not be able to handle any face-to-face queries. Please do not proceed beyond the barriers in place and call or email one of our work-from-home team instead.
• The books for sale section will be closed, but you can still order $25 mystery parcels of five pre-loved books either via the convenor section of the website or by emailing renee@bds.org.nz

Here's what that means for groups around the country:

• If you normally get your books delivered to a workplace, but are now working from home, please let us know as soon as possible so we can update your delivery address.
• Return your books as normal.

Thank you all for your cooperation and understanding. Together we can keep BDS running safely and effectively — and keep your book club reading and meeting.

We're here to help, so if anything is unclear or you need further assistance, please don't hesitate to get in touch. We're available via email and phone (03 365 6210) Mon-Fri 9:00AM - 5:00PM.

Arohanui, Kia Kaha

The BDS Team