NEWS

Stay informed with The Economist, now available for free to all Okanagan Regional Library members through PressReader! Dive into comprehensive reporting, in-depth analysis, and expert opinions on global economic, political, and cultural issues.

ORL is updating its event calendar to enhance user experience and make it easier to find and participate in programs. During this transition, there may be temporary inconveniences, and we appreciate your patience as we work to improve our services. Thank you for your continued support!

The Okanagan Regional Library (ORL) held its quarterly Board Meeting on September 11, 2024, where the Board noted the Library’s many system-wide improvements represent an average per user funding increase of just sixty-five cents before providing their enthusiastic approval. Unanimous budget approvals are rare, and the Board often reserves voting until their end-of-year meeting in November. The Board’s decision recognizes the ORL’s commitment to fiscal responsibility as it continues to create vibrant, inclusive spaces to learn, gather, and connect throughout the region.

The Okanagan Regional Library (ORL) is excited to announce the latest addition to its Library of Things (LOT) collection: the Indoor Air Quality Monitor Kit. This innovative new offering allows patrons to borrow a high-quality air monitor, empowering them to assess and improve their indoor air quality. This initiative is made possible through a collaboration with the City of Kelowna and Interior Health.

The Okanagan Regional Library is thrilled to partner with Okanagan 4 Ukraine, Kelowna Stands with Ukraine, and United Way of British Columbia to host a special event celebrating the launch of a new collection of Ukrainian books for children. This free event will take place on August 23, 2024, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Kelowna Downtown branch of the Okanagan Regional Library in the Children’s Area.

Okanagan Regional Library proudly announces the launch of Vision Tech Kits, the latest addition to its Library of Things collection. These kits provide an immersive experience into the world of those with limited vision, making them accessible to patrons of all ages.

The Okanagan Regional Library (ORL) is delighted to announce the return of our annual Summer Reading Club, a free and engaging program that encourages children and young adults to keep reading and learning throughout the summer season. This year, we're taking participants on a "Journey Through Time" with an awesome array of prizes, contests, and activities, for a fun-filled summer.

The Okanagan Regional Library (ORL) held its quarterly Board meeting on May 17, 2023, where key developments and updates were shared. The board approved ORL’s 2022 financial statements, giving the green light for the continued growth and expansion of the library system. Additionally, the board approved the annual report, highlighting ORL's achievements and impact on the community in 2022.

In the lead up to National AccessAbility Week (May 28-June 3, 2023), the Okanagan Regional Library (ORL) is excited to announce the formation of an Accessibility Committee to improve accessibility and comply with the Accessible BC Act, which the BC provincial government passed in June 2021. The Act establishes a legal framework to identify, remove, and prevent barriers to the full and equal participation of people with disabilities in BC. Over 926,000 people live with some sort of disability in BC who face various barriers.

The Okanagan Regional Library is proud to announce the release of our new Library Activity Guide for Spring 2023. This comprehensive guide showcases a wide range of programs and activities available for all ages, running from April until June.

The Okanagan Regional Library is pleased to announce the receipt of a $1.68 million one-time provincial funding grant. This grant is part of the $45 million the Province of BC has dedicated to libraries this spring, and the ORL is excited to have the opportunity to use these funds to make a positive impact on its communities.

The Okanagan Regional Library is pleased to announce the appointment of 15 new members to its board of directors. These dedicated individuals come from a wide range of backgrounds and bring a wealth of experience and expertise.

The Okanagan Regional Library is proud to announce its next program in the Community Readers series, Fire Safety Story Time, presented by the Kelowna Fire Department. Join us for a fun and educational experience that combines storytelling, music, and essential fire safety information for children.

Attention all families in the Kelowna region! The Kelowna Downtown branch of Okanagan Regional Library is excited to announce our first-ever Community Reader Story Time Series. We're kicking it off with a special Drag Story Time on Saturday, January 28th, from 11 am to 12 pm.

ORL announced today that it reached a record-breaking 1 million digital book checkouts in 2022. This milestone illustrates the continued growth and importance of library lending of eBooks, eAudiobooks and eMagazines, as well as the library's success in serving all members of the community.

Okanagan Regional Library has announced the appointment of Danielle Hubbard as their new CEO. After Don Nettleton retired from his position as CEO, Jeremy Feddersen, CFO, was selected by the Board of Directors to become an Interim CEO. At the same time, ORL looked for a new leader. Hubbard became the successful applicant for the CEO position and will officially assume responsibilities on Tuesday, November 1st, 2022.

At the February 16 meeting of the Okanagan Regional Library Board of Trustees, the Board held elections for the Board Officer positions.

The Okanagan Regional Library provides Library services to the citizens of Lake Country. For over 30 years, the Okanagan Regional Library Board has had established policies to guide communities and staff expectations for branch placement, sizes and open hours. The District of Lake Country has historically been serviced from 2 locations – the main library, which is currently situated in the Lake Country Municipal Hall and from a tiny location in Oyama. This Oyama library existed for historical reasons and has not met Board standards or policies for branch size or location (due to the small population being served and the proximity of other nearby libraries).

After the announcement of the tragic discovery of the remains of 215 children buried on the site of the former residential school in Kamloops, we wish to offer our sincere condolences to the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc and to all local First Nations - and to everyone impacted by residential schools in Canada.

VantageOne Credit Union’s generous $4,000 donation to Okanagan Regional Library (ORL) has helped strengthen community programming in the communities of Peachland, Vernon, Armstrong and Enderby, BC. The charitable gift will support ORL in two vital ways: Improving public access to digital learning and tools and fostering the development of S.T.E.A.M. programming at four of our smaller library branches.

At the May 19th, 2021 Meeting of the Okanagan Regional Library Board of Trustees, the Board was presented with a financial "clean bill of health" from auditors BDO Canada for the 2020 fiscal year. The Library system strengthened its balance sheet in 2020 with an increase in financial assets and decreased the overall net debt. It also posted a surplus for the year, most of which will be transferred to the building reserve to help to finance new branches such as West Kelowna.

Our newest Makerspace, the Inspiration Lab at the Vernon library branch, will be opening on June1! It is a free space dedicated to digital creativity, collaboration, and storytelling.

Do you have little ones at home, not yet school-aged? Have you noticed how they are growing up so fast? Well, what better way to get them prepared for the big wide world ahead than by reading together. We have an exciting new list of 100 Books to Read Together Before Kindergarten.

The Kids, Teen, and Preschooler Winter Challenges are now completed! Thank-you to all who participated! Gift card winners have received their prizes.

A change is coming to Lynda.com, the library’s source for video courses about business, project management, and popular software. On March 24, Lynda will be moving to a new site and changing its name to LinkedIn Learning for Libraries.

At the February 17 meeting of the Okanagan Regional Library Board of Trustees, the Board welcomed new members of the Board and held elections for the Board Officers positions.

Love the RBdigital Magazine collection? Now you can read RBdigital favourites like The Economist, Us Magazine, The New Yorker, and thousands more on the same site you get your digital books! Find them on the ORL's OverDrive collection at https://orl.overdrive.com the Libby App!

West Kelowna Council has approved Johnston Davidson Architecture as the design team who will work with the City and the Okanagan Regional Library to design West Kelowna’s first City Hall/Library Building.

The Okanagan Regional Library has extra services for the approximately 10% of Canadians who cannot read standard books because of a print disability. If changing the format of a print book makes it possible to read, the library can help.

On December 17, our digital books from our RBdigital collection will be moving to our ORL eBooks|OverDrive collection, so you can find your favorite books all in one place. You will continue to be able to browse, borrow, and enjoy all the same great eBooks and eAudiobooks you loved, but they will be available in Libby App and on the ORL eBooks website.

All Okanagan Regional Library locations will begin their annual holiday closure period beginning Thursday, December 24 through Sunday, January 3. Library branches will resume normal operating hours on Monday, January 4, 2021.

Hey kids and teens, showcase your creativity and imagination with our fun challenges!

Beginning December 1, we are increasing the number of digital books you can borrow at a time from the ORL eBooks|OverDrive collection! Borrow up to 10 digital books at a time, and place requests on up to 10 digital books at time.

At the November 18, 2020 meeting of the Okanagan Regional Library Board of Trustees, the Board: approved the 2021 budget with a minimal less than 1% increase (0.75%), recognizing that taxpayers face many challenges with COVID-19.

Calling on life-long learners! Feeling nostalgic for back-to school feeling this time of year? Get back to class from the comfort of home with The Great Courses (from Kanopy Streaming Films) and your library card.

Golden Library, a branch of the Okanagan Regional Library [ORL], will be temporarily closed for renovations from August 26 to September 17.

The Okanagan Regional Library will begin re-opening its branches to our patrons once again with Phase 3: Browse & Borrow service. The change will happen gradually within our 30 branches throughout July, replacing the curbside holds pick-up service.

Library service at Okanagan Regional Library branches will increase starting June 2. We have missed the in-person service to our customers, and although we have continued to serve you virtually, we are very excited to begin our restoration of library services to include lending physical materials once again - via curbside pickup.

We know you would like to be back in your local library branches and able to check out materials, and we miss you, and are looking forward to the day we can reopen our library branches again. Until then, please visit us at www.orl.bc.ca. You can ask questions using our online chat to learn how we can serve you at this time, or just call us to say hi at 1-844-649-8127. We’d love to talk to you.

Based on the direction and recommendation of the public health officials, and out of care and concern for the public, our customers and our staff, we will be closing until further notice all Okanagan Regional Library branches effective tomorrow, Tuesday, March 17.

As you know, the Okanagan Regional Library has been closely monitoring the developments related to COVID-19. This is a continually evolving situation, and we continue to try to follow the advice of our health authorities and science as opposed to the hype and rumours.

We know that we need to balance public service with public safety. We are following the advice of the Public Health Agency of Canada, BC Ministry of Health and the Interior Health Authority.

Do you use the ORL eBooks|OverDrive collection to enjoy digital books? OverDrive is changing how you check out requested books that become available to borrow so that you can better manage your holds! Currently, when requested digital books become available, they are automatically checked out to your account. On March 2, this will change for all new and existing holds. When your hold becomes available, you will be notified, and you will have a 3-day window when you can either borrow your book, redeliver it at a later date if you don't have time to read it, or cancel the hold if you no longer want the book.

Did you know you can borrow a thermal imaging camera from the library to see where heat loss is happening in your home? To borrow one, search for “See the Heat” or “Home Energy Kit” in the Catalogue, https://orl.bibliocommons.com, and place a hold. The cameras can be borrowed for up to seven days.

Oliver Library, a branch of the Okanagan Regional Library [ORL], is relocating from its current location where it has operated for over 20 years to the Oliver Place Mall.

Public Libraries are facing a battle with Macmillan Publishing to ensure access for all communities to eBook materials. Macmillan Publishing, one of the big five publishers, is significantly limiting the availability and quantity of eBooks to all libraries. Because of this change, implemented November 1st, ORL will be allowed only one copy of an eBook to serve our population of 400,000 people for the first two months.

American Sign Language Story Time Schedule Vernon Library Sundays from 1:00-2:30pm Oct 13, Nov 10, Dec 8, Jan 12, Feb 9, Mar 8 and Mar 22 Kelowna Rutland Library Saturday from 10:30-12:00pm Oct 24, Nov 16, Jan 18, Feb 15, Mar 21, Apr 18, May 16 Westbank Library Saturday from 10:30-12:00pm Nov 2, Dec 7, Feb 1, Mar 7, April, 4, May 2, June 6

Lynda.com’s move to Linkedin Learning, which had been planned for September 25, is delayed until further notice.

At the September 18 meeting of the Okanagan Regional Library Board of Trustees, the Board: Was presented with a draft budget proposed by the Finance Committee. The Board was told that the proposed average per capita increase would be 18 cents. The Board will vote on the final budget at their November meeting.

Lynda.com is the library’s source for video courses about business, project management, and popular software, and more. On September 25, Lynda.com will be changing – with a new site and a new name, LinkedIn Learning.

Dream it - Live it - Remember it. The eLibrary has got you covered for your vacation needs.

Update: The Vernon library has re-opened after a temporary closure on June 17. An unknown substance was found in the Vernon Library's book return. To ensure the safety of the public and staff, the Vernon Library has been evacuated and will be closed until further notice.

This Indigenous History Month, from June 3 to 30, readers all across Canada are invited to read Glass Beads by Dawn Dumont as part of the One eRead Canada campaign. Along with other participating libraries across Canada, the Okanagan Regional Library will make the eBook edition of Glass Beads available with no holds or waitlists all month long, borrow it from the ORL eBooks Collection, https://orl.overdrive.com.

Friends of the Westbank Library are holding their annual book sale with thousands of books for adults and children, magazines, DVDs and more at the Heritage Retirement Residence, 3630 Brown Road, West Kelowna. Times are Friday, May 24 - 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM; Saturday, May 25 - 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM; and Sunday, May 26 – 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Funds raised support year-round programs and services at the Westbank Branch and Westside Learning Lab.

Beginning May 1, we are increasing the number of digital books you can borrow at a time from the ORL eBooks collection. You will be able to borrow up to 8 digital books at a time, and you will be able to place requests on up to 8 digital books at time.

The Vernon Friends of the Library will be holding its 30th annual book sale May 2-4 at the Vernon Curling Rink, 3400 39th Avenue.

Funds raised support year-round baby, children's & teens programming and Summer Reading Club; programming for adults, book clubs, guest speakers & author events, special new facilities and more ... at Mission, Kelowna and Rutland branch libraries of the Okanagan Regional Library.

Okanagan Regional Library is officially opening the doors to the Westside Learning Lab serving the Westbank and West Kelowna community on February 23rd at 10am.

The focus of this new location is on learning, technology, and community partnership and will benefit many people and organizations on the Westside. The Westside Learning Lab will feature bookable community space and meeting rooms for events, programs and gatherings.

Starting Monday, December 17th, customers are welcome to pick up holds, browse from a small selection of items, and return their materials. Majority of the library will remain closed due to the renovations. We apologize for any inconvenience but look forward to seeing you when we reopen on January 10th.

Kelowna Friends of the Library are holding their 30th Annual Book Sale from November 8th-10th. FOLs foremost commitment is to support children’s literacy via Summer Reading Club, with funding ($5,945 in 2018) for contests, prizes, crafts, workshops & guest presenters. Funds are also devoted towards year-round programming for children, teens and adults to keep our libraries lively & relevant.

Okanagan Regional Library received a $7,400 grant from the Central Okanagan Foundation for a Sign With Me Story Time. The ASL story-time is a 90-minute library program for preschool to early elementary children and their families.

At the September 5th meeting of the Okanagan Regional Library Board of Trustees, the Board was introduced to Jeremy Sundin, ORL's new Chief Financial Officer. Sundin comes to the Library following several years as the Director of Finance for the Village of Lumby.

Naxos Music Library added to the Okanagan Regional Library's digital offerings. Now available for streaming at the click of a mouse! Naxos Music Library – is the world's largest online classical music library. As of September 2013, it offers streaming access to over 87,000 CDs with over 1.275 million tracks. On average, over 800 new CDs are added to the library every month.

Okanagan Regional Library has announced the appointment of Don Nettleton as their new CEO. After Stephanie Hall resigned her position as CEO for personal reasons, Nettleton was selected by the board of directors to become an Interim CEO while ORL looked for a new leader. Nettleton became the successful applicant for the CEO position and has officially assumed responsibilities as of Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018.

he Library Maker Crew showed off the newly acquired 3D Printer and introduced the exciting potential of this new technology and its possibilities. The Library Maker Crew will visit all 29 branches of the ORL beginning in June and will run through to September allowing all communities to have equal access to this fantastic technology. Details and date of each branch visit will be provided once finalized.

Chris Stephenson is no stranger to the Okanagan. On the way to his last position as Head Librarian of the Bancroft Public Library in Ontario, Chris drove through Kelowna and said to himself, “One day I’d like to work for the Okanagan Regional Library system.” And two years later, here he is.

In response to patron feedback, the Lumby branch of the Okanagan Regional Library will have new open hours. Effective Tuesday, March 6th 2018, the new library open hours will be as follows:

In response to patron feedback obtained in person and through a locally distributed survey, the Okanagan Falls branch of the Okanagan Regional Library will have new open hours. Effective Thursday, March 1st, the new library open hours will be as follows:

In response to patron feedback and funding limitations, the Silver Creek branch of the Okanagan Regional Library will have new open hours. Effective Tuesday, January 23rd 2018, the new library open hours will be as follows:

The Keremeos branch of the Okanagan Regional Library will have new open hours effective Thursday, February 1st 2018, the new library open hours will be as follows:

Stephanie Hall has been the CEO since February of 2013, but come March, she will be resigning in order to sail around the world on the tallship Picton Castle. This is not the first time Hall has taken an offshore sailing voyage, having sailed from Seville, Spain to Victoria BC aboard the topsail schooner Pacific Swift at the age of 20. “It was a difficult decision”, said Hall, “as the team at the ORL has been stellar, and the work our staff do in communities is so important. But I’ve wanted to do a total circumnavigation for a long time, and the best time to pursue your dreams is never ‘in a few years’.”

The Okanagan Regional Library (ORL) is considering a change in Okanagan Falls Branch open hours. ORL is seeking community feedback on an optimum open time.

Lumby and Golden Branches of the Okanagan Regional Library are asking for the public’s assistance in determining which open library hours would best serve the community’s needs.

The ORL would like to know learn about what collections and resources you like using in the eLibrary, www.orl.bc.ca/elibrary, and to hear what you would like to see the ORL offer. Please helps us out by taking a short, 3-minute survey.

Okanagan Regional Library will reveal its new brand and will hold a community event to showcase the renovations done to the branch.

Okanagan Regional Library has been awarded a Central Okanagan Foundation grant to continue it's Americal Sign Language Story Time program at the Rutland Library. The Central Okanagan Foundation is a community foundation providing an ongoing contribution to the quality of life in our community through building endowments, grant making and community leadership. We bring donors and charities together to provide for the needs of the community today, tomorrow and forever.

Because of customer feedback, there is a slight change in the hours during which the ORL provides Wi-Fi access.​ The ORL will now be providing free Wi-Fi access beginning at 6:30 AM and ending at 9:30 PM, each day.

Beginning Sunday, July 30th Mission Library will be open every Sunday from 11 am – 3 pm, and on Wednesdays, it will remain open until 8 pm.

We repaired the walls, installed new windows, changed the carpet and replaced damaged furniture. Our spirits are high, and we can't wait to see you in the Library.

The Peachland Branch of the Okanagan Regional Library is currently temporarily closed for repairs.

Local government has many priorities seeking tax dollars, and we want to recognize all three jurisdictions for their decision to contribute to learning and literacy in the Keremeos, Cawston, and Olalla areas.

Damage from a roof leak is impacting our service to you. The Oliver library branch is open during its regular hours, but with limited service because there is no access to the main part of the library. Public are invited to pick up holds, renew or return items, and borrow from a small selection of books and other items. We hope to have two 15 minute public internet stations (one with a printer) available on Tuesday, January 31. We expect access to our full library collection and services will return to normal on Tuesday, February 7.

Due to flooding, the Oliver library branch is closed January 20, and re-opening with limited service January 21 for hold pickups and item returns.

Though library branches may be closed over the holidays, our online library is always open! Stay cozy and warm inside while delighting in free movies, magazines, eBooks, eAudiobooks, and more – all available through your library website with library membership.

Your New Online Experience has been up for a few days and here are answers to some common questions, and a few other notes...