Numbers Up At New Library

Written by Peter McIntyre Monday, 09 July 2012 02:11
Thousands of people continue to check-out Vernon's new library each week.  Head librarian Maureen Curry says they've been getting a lot of positive feedback about the two month old facility. "We're getting a lot of comments about how open, bright, spacious and comfortable it is." The 12 million dollar, two floor structure on 30th Avenue is more than twice the size of the old library on 32nd Ave. Curry says they're seeing more people in the new branch---as many as 1,200 a day---and circulation is also up. "I was looking at the statistics for the month of June and we're up about 17 per cent, so we circulated, or checked-out, almost 50,000 items." However, Curry says the biggest increase has been  in the number of new library members, with 400 people getting cards last month, up a 150 over a year ago. "That is a huge jump." A recent letter to the editor in the Morning Star complained about access to some second floor items for people with mobility challenges. Curry says that's why there's a centrally located elevator. "When the building was planned the collections for people with mobility or vision issues was located as close to the elevator as we  possibly could get it. The person who wrote the letter said it was tucked in the back, and that is not at all the case." She says the first floor is for "noisier" activities like circulation and children's programs, while the second floor is a quieter area used for studying, and leisure reading. "That's what people wanted, that's what we designed, and people love it." Curry says they are still working on improving signage to help people navigate their way around the inside and outside of the building.