Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: February 18, 2010 6:00 PM
The long wait for a new library may be over. Okanagan Regional Library has scheduled a press conference for 10 a.m. Monday and it’s believed that plans for a new Vernon branch will be announced. “I can’t say. It’s all in-camera at this time,” said Mike Macnabb, ORL director, when contacted. However, The Morning Star has learned the North Okanagan Regional District has agreed to borrow money on behalf of ORL for a new branch. ORL staff met with regional district directors behind closed doors Wednesday. Public consent would be done through an alternate approval process, which would require 10 per cent of voters to sign a petition in opposition to keep borrowing from occurring. ORL has been trying to identify suitable sites for a larger library branch, including the city-owned Coldstream Hotel parking lot. Another option has been to expand the existing facility. Plans for a new library have been discussed for about a decade and ORL policies indicate the current facility, at 13,000-square-feet, is only half the size it should be for the population base it serves. There was a major stumbling block in 2008 when a majority of city voters shot down plans for a civic complex, which would have included a library.
Mayor Wayne Lippert is hopeful Monday’s announcement deals with a new branch. “A decision needs to happen on the library,” he said. “It’s time to put it to bed and have an answer.” Lippert points out that the city’s need to accommodate its own workforce is impacted by the uncertainty surrounding the present library. “If it stays there, we can look at something else for our staff and if it moves, maybe we can do something with the existing building,” he said.
2 comments:
Where is the survey from Vernon residents wanting a new library.
With the internet today and the information freely accesible, what is the purpose in spending gobs of money.
But then the ORL has no concept of money and therefore spends whatever they want.
Yesterday I was gobb-smacked to see, on a library return trolley, at the height of the average 8 yr old, a very adult book with an explicit title: A Woman's Complete guide to xxxx xxx.
We are not talking about a mainstream practice already covered in such childrens classics as Where Do I Come From?
Children are losing their innocence as never before.
I have raised concerns re the lack of privacy re requested materials.
(in fact orl does not follow "Library Best Practices"
with respect to patron privacy --this can be googled)
I all comes down to money, staffing levels and most important an attachment to that well-documented phenomena: "The Edifice Complex" so beloved by the power elite.
"Edifice Complex
There is security in the library now to monitor unsavoury persons using the library internet.
Imagine the security issues presented by a spacious library with the same relatively small number of legitimate patrons.
I'd definately keep an eagle-eye on any children in my charge.
We need satellite libraries at places such as the Schubert.
How about a book-mobile targeting seniors and the physically challenged?
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