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ORL Board Meeting | Feb 17 | Welcomes & Election

by ORL Marketing | Feb 17, 2021
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. 
 
New trustees joining the ORL board are:

  • Louise Wallace Richmond, Salmon Arm
  • Todd York, Spallumcheen
  • Doug Findlater, West Kelowna
  • Subrina Monteith, OSRD
 
The Board elected former ORL Vice-Chair and Personnel Committee Chair Sherry Philpott-Adhikary, a councillor in Keremeos, serving her 6th year on the Library Board, as the new Library Board Chair. In addition to her years on the Library Board and Council, she is retired from a career in education. She replaces outgoing Chair Karla Kozakevich, who had completed her 8-year maximum term on the Board. 
 
The Board also elected additional officers and Committee Chairs as follows:

  • BOARD VICE-CHAIR: Doug Findlater, WestKelowna 
  • FINANCE COMMITTEE CHAIR: David Mattes, Oliver 
  • POLICY AND PLANNING COMMITTEE CHAIR: Loyal Wooldridge, Kelowna 
  • PERSONNEL COMMITTEE CHAIR: Subrina Monteith, RDOS 
  • BCLTA LIAISON: Subrina Monteith, RDOS
 
The Board received a recommendation to postpone additional work on a new strategic plan until ORL can recover from the effects of Covid19 and re-assess communities' needs in a post COVID world. 
 
The Board received updates from Library Staff highlighting the ORL's continued effort to maximize Library usage while complying with the necessary restrictions as directed by health authorities and Worksafe BC to ensure the public and staff's safety. These reports:
 
  • Outlined the increase in demand for eBooks and eAudiobooks since covid19 began, and that even with Libraries fully open for physical lending, this additional demand has remained
  • Mentioned a substantial increase in the use of ORL's digital portfolio, including lynda.com, Libby, Rosetta Stone, etc. 
  • Even with the lack of in-person programming and other covid-19 restrictions, the physical circulation of books, magazines, and other materials has recovered back to 90% of the previous year, where they totalled about 2.7 million circulations.
  • Noted that there has been a lot of positive feedback librarians have received from patrons upon reopening library doors expressing how they so appreciate being able to visit their branches once again to browse and borrow.
  • Mentioned that staff hope to gradually begin to increase some seating space and some additional services that have had to be stopped as soon as some of the covid-19 restrictions start to ease and it becomes safe to do so.
  • Heard about an opportunity to partner with another non profit organization to begin a Peer Navigator pilot program which would place people who have recently transitioned from homelessness, addiction, or other disadvantaged situations to work in the downtown Kelowna Library branch to more easily support members of those disadvantaged communities in finding information and receiving services.

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