Last month, the Okanagan Regional Library announced they are closing down the Oyama library branch for financial reasons.
ORL director of marketing and communications Michal Utko told KelownaNow that it was unusual to have two libraries operating in a single district.
“Can we shift resources around for finances? We decided closing the library in Oyama and opening in Lake Country was the best course of action,” says Utko.
After the announcement of the closure, advocate Alison Beaumont created Save Our Library: More Than Books, a video showing community members sharing stories about the library and how much it means to them.
"Oyama library really is the heart of our community," says Beaumont.
Members addressed several points, saying the library is where many of their kids learned to read, that it is used as a resource for school and how the community kids enjoy their summer reading competition and prizes.
Utko says he empathizes with the community, saying he still wants to maintain that service and school interaction.
“We reached out to the Oyama Community Club to do some summer reading programs and prizes to maintain that connection.”
The Oyama library’s last day is set to be at the end of this month, Oct. 28.
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