The Okanagan Regional Library has seen an eight per cent increase in patrons in the past three years.
The library, which serves Vernon, Kelowna, Revelstoke, Salmon Arm and beyond, reported 157,601 patrons attended programming and used the library meeting spaces.
Circulation of materials is up as well with more than 3.5 million transactions taking place. The ORL reported 2,796,898 books, magazines and other materials were borrowed, while there was a significant 47 per cent jump in eBook and eAudio checkouts.
It’s not just books patrons are after. A reported 2,799 hours were spent fine tuning skills through Lynda.com — that’s a 55 per cent increase since 2016. Another 740 hours were spent learning new languages through Rosetta Stone.
The regional library system saw more than 3.9 million visitors and a 4.9 per cent increase in its membership — totalling 106,344 newly issued cards.
The current overall budget for the library is more than $18 million a year.
For more information about your local library, visit orl.bc.ca.
READ MORE: Good Citizen nominations sought in Vernon
READ MORE: Armstrong woman wins dream home
@caitleerachCaitlin.clow@vernonmorningstar.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
