Board Policy and Regulations
View our Board Policy and Regulations [PDF].
The ORL’s policy document for how the library functions.
Financial Allocations Model Analysis
Financial Allocation Model Analysis (PDF) – This 2013 report, conducted by the auditing firm Grant Thorton, examines the expenditures versus revenue for each individual member community across the ORL service area.
Financial Reports and Taxation Information
The Okanagan Regional Library is funded through
- Government grants
- Charitable grants
- Friends of the Library fundraising efforts, and
- Taxes
In fact, 92 per cent of the library’s funding comes from property taxes from municipalities and regional districts in the ORL region.
Tax costs are calculated in two ways:
1. Half of the costs is calculated based on population, which reflects a community’s usage of the library.
2. The other half of the cost is calculated based on land value and improvements (i.e., property assessments), which reflects a community’s ability to pay.
Once the costs are calculated, each municipality and regional district are billed, and the local Council or District Board shares out the cost among all property owners on the basis of property assessments. Each municipality and regional district has the power to change their own tax apportionment formula.
The ORL is currently operating significantly below the provincial average per capita for public libraries.
Rules of Conduct
For the comfort of all users, please respect the following rules when in the library:
Animals
- Only assistance dogs are allowed in the library.
Cell phones
- Cell phones, laptop computers, or other devices must be used in a manner that does not disturb others.
Clothing
- Shirts and footwear must be worn.
Disruptive behaviour and language
- Behavior that interferes with any person’s comfort and use of the library is not allowed.
- Threatening, abusive, harassing language or behavior toward staff or other users is not allowed.
- No person shall solicit or sell services, goods, or merchandise.
- No person shall traffic in or consume illicit substances.
- No persons shall gather signatures on petitions or distribute literature of any kind in the library.
- No persons shall engage in protests in the library.
Food and drink
- Only beverages with a lid are permitted.
- Food is allowed in designated areas only.
- No food or drink is permitted when operating the library’s computer equipment.
Furniture use
- Sleeping is not allowed.
- Feet must not be placed on the furniture.
Library materials may not be taken into the washrooms.
Smoking (and/or vaping) is not allowed
Sports equipment
- Bicycles are not allowed in the library.
- Other sports equipment (skateboards, inline skates, etc.) must not be used inside the library.
Theft / damage to property
- Stealing, damaging, or vandalizing property of the library is prohibited by law.
- Cutting or removing pages or articles from books or magazines, hacking into, or altering computer settings, and writing in library materials or on furniture or walls is not allowed.
Unattended children
- Young children must be supervised at all times by someone responsible for their safety and conduct.
Recording
- Photographing, filming, videotaping or audio recording conducted within the library must be authorized in advance by senior staff.
Violation of any of the above rules may result in suspension or restriction of library privileges, including banning from library premises. Criminal offences may result in prosecution.
Board approved: May 17, 2023