Kamloops, BC – September 21, 2023 – The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) and Thompson-Nicola Regional Library (TNRL) are honoured to be recognized with a Community Excellence Award at the annual Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) convention.
The TNRD received an Honourable Mention in the category of “Excellence in Service Delivery” for the new TNRL Service Extender program, which has been implemented at the Ashcroft Library.
The service extender program enables patrons to access the library outside of regularly-staffed hours, nearly doubling the availability of the Ashcroft Library from 26 hours to approximately 50 hours per week. Patrons aged 15 and older who are library card holders in good standing can check out items, browse collection materials, return items, use Wi-Fi, public computers and study spaces, and hold meetings after hours.
The Ashcroft Library is the first library in western Canada to implement a service extender program, and the first rural library in Canada to implement this service. To learn more about this innovative TNRL program, visit: tnrl.ca/service-extender.
“I was tremendously pleased and proud to accept this award on behalf of TNRD library staff, facilities staff, and IT staff, who all worked hard to bring this service extender program to life with a made-in-the-TNRD solution,” said Barbara Roden, Board Chair of the TNRD and Mayor of the Village of Ashcroft. “Libraries are the hub of many of our TNRD communities, and the service extender enables them to play an even larger role in residents’ lives. This program also shows how the TNRL continues to adapt and be a leader in a changing world.”
The UBCM has offered Community Excellence Awards since 2004, which are open to all local governments and First Nation members of the UBCM. There are four categories, as well as the UBCM Presidents Committee Choice Award. Each year, a winner and, on occasion, an honourable mention, are chosen for each of these categories.
This is the sixth time that the TNRD has received a UBCM Community Excellence Award. The TNRD would like to congratulate all other 2023 award recipients.
The UBCM convention is ongoing in Vancouver from September 18-22, 2023. TNRD Electoral Area Directors and Municipal Directors are in attendance to advocate to the Province of BC on various topics on behalf of their constituents, and in alignment with the 2023-2026 TNRD Strategic Plan.
Media Contact:
Jenny Abramzik, Acting Chief Librarian
Thompson-Nicola Regional Library
Tel.: 250-377-6063
Email: jabramzik@tnrd.ca
Barbara Roden, Board Chair
Thompson-Nicola Regional District
Tel.: 250-457-0789
Email: director.broden@tnrd.ca
Photos below courtesy of UBCM via Flickr
