What does a year at the Okanagan Regional Library look like? It looks like a child discovering a new favourite book at Summer Reading Club. A senior learning a new skill online. A family arriving for Story Time. A future auteur exploring video recording equipment in a Makerspace. A neighbour stopping in to use a computer, or simply spend some time in a welcoming community space.
Multiply those moments across 30 branches and the numbers tell a remarkable story. The ORL’s 2025 Annual Report is now available, offering a look back at a year of reading, learning, creativity, community partnerships, new resources, and continued growth across the region.
Nearly 1.5 Million Visits
Here’s one number that gives you a sense of just how busy our libraries were: patrons walked through ORL doors 1,479,912 times in 2025. Those visits happened for all kinds of reasons. Some people came looking for books. Others needed Wi-Fi, exam invigilation, accessibility assistance, a quiet place to work, or somewhere to enjoy an afternoon of learning and exploration.
At the Kelowna Downtown Branch alone, more than 215,000 visits were recorded during the year. The branch also hosted 1,287 programs that welcomed nearly 30,000 participants. Across the entire ORL system, branches offered 12,811 programs, with total attendance reaching 247,621. That’s a lot of Story Times, workshops, clubs, talks, creative projects, community gatherings, and opportunities to try something new.
Our Patrons Borrow Books. A Lot.
Books still spend plenty of time travelling between ORL shelves and homes. In 2025, patrons borrowed more than 2.1 million books, magazines, and other physical materials. Children’s collections alone accounted for more than 533,000 circulations, while movies, nonfiction, fiction, mysteries, and special collections such as the Library of Things all found their way into the hands of curious patrons.
Our digital shelves were busy, too. ORL cardholders checked out 1,341,896 ebooks and e-audiobooks during the year, making the Digital Collection an increasingly important part of how people read and listen.
And there was even more arriving on the shelves. Nearly 197,000 new items were added to ORL collections in 2025, including approximately 79,600 physical items and 117,000 digital items.
In other words, if your “to read” pile got a little out of hand last year, you were in very good company!
More People Joined the Library
The ORL community grew in 2025. Our annual library card campaign helped increase new library card registrations by 26% compared with the previous year, while the total number of active cardholders grew to 126,385.
Thousands of Young Readers Made The Most of Summer
Summer Reading Club remains one of the busiest and most joyful parts of the ORL year. In 2025, 7,602 children took part in Summer Reading Club, while ORL branches delivered 654 summer programs attended by more than 30,000 participants. The numbers are impressive, but what children told us may be even better: 95% reported learning something new, enjoying reading more, and reading more often. That’s the kind of summer homework we can get behind!
Throughout the rest of the year, Story Time and other Youth Services programs continued helping children build early literacy skills while giving families a regular place to read, play, learn, and meet others in their community.
Your Library Is More Than Books
One of the fun things about looking through the Annual Report is seeing just how much falls under the word “library.”
The Library of Things continued to grow, giving patrons new ways to borrow practical tools and hands-on learning resources. Makerspaces expanded access to technologies including 3D printers, Glowforge laser cutters, and heat presses. Online learning remained popular, with patrons spending 3,806 hours learning through LinkedIn Learning, while Niche Academy tutorials were viewed 26,470 times.
Accessibility also remained an important focus. New and expanded resources included Braille Discovery Kits, ergonomic equipment, portable audiobook players, and accessible computer stations available in every branch.
These are all different ways of doing the same thing: helping more people explore an interest, solve a problem, build a skill, or participate in library life.
ORL Libraries Are Growing with Their Communities
Some of the biggest work in 2025 was happening inside the buildings themselves. Branches across the region received improvements to flooring, shelving, service desks, seating, and layouts, helping create more flexible and welcoming spaces for study, programs, families, and community use. Construction also continued on new library spaces in North Shuswap and at Kelowna’s Parkinson Recreation Centre, while planning began for a future branch in Glenmore.
Behind those projects is a simple idea: as our communities change and grow, their libraries need to grow with them.
See the Full Story
These numbers are only a small part of the year. The 2025 Annual Report also takes you behind the scenes to explore community partnerships, staff learning, technology, accessibility, financial stewardship, facilities, collections, and the work that supports library service throughout the region.
Mostly, though, it tells the story of what happens when people use their library. Millions of borrowed items. Hundreds of thousands of program visits. New skills learned. New books discovered. New neighbours met. And millions of small moments of curiosity, learning, and connection along the way. To our patrons, volunteers, partner organizations, and neighbours, thank you for making 2025 an incredible year!
Need More Help?
Call us at 1-844-649-8127 or email help@orl.bc.ca. Please include as many details as you can about your question, account, or device. This helps us support you more quickly and accurately.
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