By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star - May 25, 2008
Efforts are underway to try and address short and long-term space issues at Vernon’s library. The Okanagan Regional Library board has approved the terms of reference for a stakeholders committee which has been given a year to tackle the matter of space. “They hope to do a few things before then,” said Lesley Dieno, executive director. The committee includes ORL staff as well as representatives from the Friends of the Library, the City of Vernon, the District of Coldstream and the North Okanagan Regional District. The first goal will be physical changes to the existing branch so there is more room for employees. “Staff are getting squished out and things are pretty desperate there,” said Dieno, adding that something must be done with the current site until it is determined whether a much larger branch will be constructed in Vernon. “We want to get the staff through the next two or three years, we don’t know how long.”
ORL board members have agreed to spend up to $50,000 on renovations to accommodate staff needs. “It’s crucial to make the working life of staff better,” said Dieno. The committee’s other focus will be considering options for a larger branch, whether it is through utilizing the existing facility or another location. The specific size of a future branch must also be looked at. “Thirty-thousand-square-feet is our ideal but you don’t always get what you want,” said Dieno. The present branch is 13,000-square-feet in size.Hopes for a larger branch were dashed earlier this year when a majority of voters shot down a City of Vernon plan for a civic complex.
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