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September 17, 2015 - 2:35 PM
KELOWNA – The board of directors for the Okanagan Regional Library have approved a draft of next year’s budget that calls for a 1.98 per cent increase.
Half of the extra money would go towards wage increases for staff while the remainder would be used to offset higher rents and utilities, higher book and eResource costs and help cover the impact of the devalued Canadian dollar, according to a media release.
According to Ken Roberts, former CEO of the Hamilton Public Library who spoke at the meeting, libraries around the world are experiencing a critical shift “from information to imagination, from consumption to creation, and to increased collaboration."
His research concludes libraries are becoming places where people connect with technology to create music, video, or texts, work away from home, collaborate, study, and gather as communities.
“While libraries still have a strong role in promoting reading and literacy, statistics show more items are circulating online, which can free up space for new activities,” regional library fundraising manager Marla O’Brien says in the release.
The new budget plan is targeted to be in place by February 2016.
The next Regional Library Board meeting is scheduled for October 21 when public input will be gathered.
For more information visit the Okanagan Regional Library website.
To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infonews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015