ORL Board Meeting | September

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.

The Board received a report from Chief Executive Officer Don Nettleton, which highlighted how the Library continues to move forward on their strategic plan in areas such as focusing on diverse community programming for citizens of all ages. Recent well-received system-wide programming included the Maker Crew Team, who travelled to each library branch and demonstrated the technology, including 3-D printing, to audiences of all ages, the Bubble Man and Magic Shows aimed at young people and, of course, the ever-popular Summer Reading Club. Other noteworthy programs and partnerships included Citizenship Ceremonies at the Kelowna Branch and American Sign Language Programs at the Rutland Branch. 

The Board unanimously approved their Budget for 2019, which increases expenditures by 2.55% to $19,668,010. Principal budget increases cover inflation, previously approved additional security for Kelowna and Vernon Branches, one additional Information Technology support position, as well as small increases for staff training and programming equipment.

The Board also heard about:
-       Plans for a renovation and refresh of the Salmon Arm Branch in the fall.
-       Ongoing fundraising efforts, including a $15,000 donation from Telus which was received at a fundraising barbecue at Kelowna Branch earlier this summer. This will be put towards future maker space at the Branch.
-       2018 financial results to the end of June that are in-line with the 2018 Budget.

About the ORL

Established in 1936, the Okanagan Regional Library (ORL) is the 16th largest library system in Canada, serving over 370,000 residents through 29 branches. It covers 59,600 square kilometres of some of the most beautiful territories in BC, stretching from Golden in the Rockies to Osoyoos in the heart of the Okanagan wine and fruit growing areas.  The system is staffed by energetic and committed people who have begun the shift to a more learning and technology-focused service.