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February 21, 2016 - 2:00 PM
OKANAGAN - At the Okanagan Regional Library Board meeting on Wednesday, directors elected new officers for the coming year and approved a strategic plan prioritizing learning, innovation and community partnerships.
Chair Catherine Lord, the ORL rep from Vernon City Council, opened the meeting highlighting successes from the 2015 year, most notably the opening of the long-awaited new library branch in Summerland.
While the building has only been open 4 months, statistics already indicate visits to the branch are up over 10%. System-wide, participation in children’s programs were up 12% over the previous year and attendance at programs geared towards adult audiences more than doubled.
Circulation of print materials declined by 2.6%, while the usage of electronic materials continued to climb 20.6% over 2014.
During Board elections, Lord was voted to serve another year as the library system’s Chair, and Lori Mindnich, a Councillor from Lumby, will act as Vice Chair. Mindnich will also chair the Finance Committee.
The Policy and Planning Committee will be headed by Karla Kozakevich, from the Okanagan Similkameen Regional District, and the Personnel Committee will be chaired by Tundra Baird from Enderby’s Council. Erin Carlson, a Councillor from Summerland, will be the ORL’s liaison with the BC Library Trustee Association.
At the meeting the Board unanimously approved a new strategic plan for the ORL, a plan that they have been developing over the past year in collaboration with staff, public feedback, and research on national and international trends in library service.
The plan solidifies the mission for the ORL as “Connecting Curious Minds” and outlines four key themes for the library’s focus in coming years:
1. Our library advances learning, creativity and imagination
2. Our library is an integral part of life in our diverse communities
3. Our library branches are innovative, inviting and reflect our communities
4. Our library is focused on customer service, staffed by learners confident in their abilities
News from © iNFOnews, 2016