Lifeline During Pandemic and Little Bookworm Maker

I've always been a big Libby user, but the Library became a bit of a lifeline for my family during the pandemic. My daughter was only 11 months old when everything shut down so it was a really isolating time, and we often felt like we were crawling the walls. The Library was such a great place to go when everything else was either shut down or felt unsafe. It got us out of the apartment and was a great indoor activity during the winter and hotter/rainy months. Even when the Library itself was mostly shut down due to restrictions, they made these awesome themed book bundles for kids so that we could pop in, load up on books and pop out again.

We would load up the stroller with so many books that I had to keep an eye on the basket when going over curbs to make sure none spilled out (I promise no books were harmed during these escapades!). My daughter came to love picture books so much that she would want to look through them as we walked home (and even on one memorable occasion while in her baby seat on the back of my bike!). We used to go so often we knew when a new scavenger hunt was going to be set up in the Children's section, and when our favourite library worker would be at the desk. Though we go in person a little less frequently these days, our usage hasn't stopped, just evolved, as my daughter has gotten older. Now we're making good use of the Holds shelf and reading tons of early chapter and comic books together. She recently blasted through the early literacy testing in Kindergarten, and I think it's a pretty safe bet the Library had a major role in that.

My asks from the library:
Please expand the number of holds we can have on Libby! 20 is really a small number when you think about it ;-D
When City of Ottawa funding actually permits (looking right at you suburban and rural city councillors) expand the hours on the weekends. Mornings for parents with young children are especially great - 9am to 6pm would be amazing.
Speaking of funding, also ensuring that library workers are paid a good, living wage. They shouldn't have to go on strike like the Halifax Public Library workers did! Solidarité!