Okanagan Regional Library Board Highlights from September 17th, 2014

SUMMERLAND – The September Board Meeting was held in Summerland to allow the board to participate in the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Summerland Branch of the Okanagan Regional Library.

Summerland Building Committee Report
Carol Zanon, Chair of the Summerland Building Committee, thanked her committee members for their hard work which has allowed the Summerland Building project to move forward so rapidly. The final detailed design by Urban Arts Architecture is almost complete, based on input from the community of Summerland, Summerland library staff, District of Summerland and Tango Management. The new library building will feature a community room which can be expanded when needed to accommodate larger groups, a bright, airy children’s area, a readers’ terrace and a teen corner.

Today’s ground-breaking ceremony marks the beginning of construction, with a target completion of June 2015. Board Chair Catherine Lord dug the first hole for the foundations and commented on how pleased the ORL board is to be able to provide a building that meets the community needs and showcases the importance of reading and literacy for all residents.

Budget 2015
Lori Mindich, Chair of the Finance Committee, presented the draft budget for the board’s consideration. An overall 1.72% increase is proposed, the majority of which comes from negotiated wage increases and inflationary items, including mandatory increases to Municipal Pension Plan rates.  In 2013, the library experienced a surge in program attendance of 12.6% and an increase in reference transactions (many of which are related to help with ebooks and other devices) of 9.4%.  In response, the budget includes minor service and training improvements related to programs and staff training on dealing with people who have questions related to technology.  The board will vote on the final budget at their October meeting.

Summer Reading Club
Summer Reading Club has wrapped up around the region. Many of the ORL board members took part in celebration ceremonies in their communities where children received medals and certificates for successfully completing their summer reading logs. A highlight of this year’s program was a visit to every branch by magician Leif David, who created a special show for the ORL highlighting the importance of reading. The magician tour was paid for with the generous support of the Friends of the Library groups across the region.

BC Library Trustee Association
Director Lisa Cameron reported that the BCLTA, along with the BCLA, the ABCPLD and BCLC, will be present at UBCM this year in order to promote the importance of libraries in communities. A special handout will be given to UBCM attendees highlighting the statistics of library usage across the province. The director is hoping to meet with the minister responsible for libraries during UBCM.

New Integrated Library System
CEO Stephanie Hall presented information to the board on the new Integrated Library System (ILS) which will go live on October 6th. This new system replaces the current system, which no longer serves the library’s needs. Patrons will be affected prior to the go live date as some services will be temporarily unavailable, although books will still be available for check out! Patrons will notice extended due dates on their items and are asked not to return items until after October 8th. For more information, please visit www.orl.bc.ca.