🍓Get tips from a Master Gardener about how to grow berries and small garden fruit during the LAST Virtual Gardening Series course of the year. 📅 Monday, Nov.2 |6:30-8pm 💻FREE Online Event 🔗 Register now: https://ow.ly/TeeY50ZZUiX

Check out this exhibit 👇 during open hours at our #Sooke library. It'll be there until the end of the year.

Vancouver Island Local History Society@vilocalhistory.bsky.social · 3w ago

#Sooke! Check out The Great Vancouver Island Land Grab exhibit - now on at the beautiful Sooke @vilibrary.bsky.social branch!

👻Some #VIRL branches are giving kids new BOO-ks for Halloween. How cool is that?! Campbell River and Quadra Island libraries will give books for treats Oct.31. Bella Coola library will do a week-long event ahead of Halloween and South Cowichan branch will hand out books at Malahat Nation.

It's Canadian Library Workers Day! There are so many people who make this library system special, from delivery drivers to cataloguers, library assistants, librarians and everyone in between. THANK YOU! 🫶🤩 #CanadianLibraryWorkersDay

Who remembers due date cards in library books? Our Sointula branch found a box of cards and stamps we used to mark the return date before our systems went online. #ThrowbackThursday

🚲🚙📚 Who doesn't love exploring new libraries? There's still time to join our 90th Anniversary Passport Program for the chance to WIN great prizes. More info👉https://virl.bc.ca/90th-passport/ Already playing? How many branches have you visited so far?

We have NEWS! The Great Vancouver Island Land Grab exhibit is moving to the Sooke library. See it during open hours beginning Sunday, Oct. 18. It wraps up at the Cowichan library on Friday, Oct. 16. 👉Details: https://virl.bc.ca/event/the-great-land-grab-exhibit-2/2026-10-18/

SAVE YOUR SPOT! Join Dr. Gina Starblanket and Dr. Heidi Kiiwetinepinesiik Stark for the final TRC57 Speaker Series event of the season on Oct.14. Register: https://ow.ly/mRL050ZWta3 📅 October 14 | 🕛 12–1 p.m. PT 💻 Free online event via Zoom

❤️Some things never change. Storytimes have been held at our libraries for years! Who has memories of Storytime? #ThrowbackThursday

Join award-winning author Jenn Ashton this Thursday for a virtual book launch.📖 👉Find the link to join the event and register for a reminder here: https://ow.ly/AWXY50ZV6Cf 📅 October 8 | 🕑️ 6pm-7pm |

October is I ♥ My Library Month! 📚❤️ We’re celebrating 90 years of stories, people and places—and looking ahead to a future full of possibility. Join the celebration: https://virl.bc.ca/library-month/ As we look to the next 90, libraries light the way.

All VIRL branches are closed tomorrow (Sept.30) for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day. 🧡 👉Check out resources in the library’s collection: https://ow.ly/Moe650ZRBJ4 *Thanks to Sooke's knitting community for the tiny orange sweater display!

What a ride! Thrilled to be part of the 42nd annual Port Alberni Toy Run last weekend. 1,156 motorcycles rolled into Port Alberni, helping collect 25 bins of donated toys for local children over the holidays. Thanks Port Alberni for welcoming us and for making this annual tradition possible. ❤️

📣 Writers and artists on Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii, Bella Coola and the Gulf Islands! Submit short fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction or art for Sea & Cedar’s 2027 issue by Sept. 30, 2026: https://virl.bc.ca/read-watch-listen/audience/adults/sea-cedar-magazine/submissions/

VIRL’s Board of Trustees approved our $39.4M 2027 budget today, with an overall levy increase of 4.33%, our lowest percentage increase in five years. Next week, Board Chair Jonathan Lerner and Executive Director Eileen Gillette are off to Vancouver for #UBCM. #VIRL #PublicLibraries

🍂Please note that all of our branches will be closed Monday, September 7 for Labour Day. 🍁 Our online branch is open 24/7...check out something new at http://virl.bc.ca. #LibrariesInspire #VIRL #LongWeekend #GoodReads #BackToSchool #LittleReaders #ReadingReadiness

🚗📚 Think you can visit 5+ VIRL branches this summer? Challenge accepted! Grab a FREE 90th Anniversary Passport, collect stamps & enter to WIN prizes! 🏆 Explore old favourites and discover somewhere new. Learn more: virl.bc.ca/90th

📚 Stock up before the long weekend! All VIRL branches will be closed on Monday, August 3 for BC Day. Borrow your next great read, movie, audiobook, or eBook before the weekend, or explore our digital collection anytime at virl.bc.ca. Have a safe, happy, and relaxing BC Day! ☀️

🎉 Celebrating 90 years! We were honoured to welcome MP Tamara Kronis to Nanaimo North, where she joined Baby Rhyme Time and presented VIRL with a Certificate of Recognition. 💙📚

🎉 TODAY'S THE DAY! Summer Reading starts now! 📚 Kids, teens & adults can read, complete challenges, and win prizes. What's your first summer read? ☀️📖 https://virl.bc.ca/summer-reading-starts-here-registration-now-open-for-kids-and-teens/

The new TRC57 Speaker Series website is live! Browse past speakers, search sessions by topic, and register for our October live event. Explore: https://trc57speakerseries.ca/

TRC57 Speaker Series - TRC57 Speaker Series

Please join us for an Indigenous learning series featuring Canadian authors and thought leaders. In response to the Nanaimo Ladysmith Public Schools’ goal of Truth & Reconciliation and Canada’s TRC Call to Action #57, we have curated a speaker series covering a range of topics including true histories, pedagogies, self-determination, land resurgence, and stories to […]

trc57speakerseries.ca

Stack up before Canada Day! 📚 VIRL branches are closed Wed, July 1. Browse reads, movies & more: search.virl.bc.ca or visit virl.bc.ca

📖 Join us celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day and National Indigenous History Month with our 2026 Indigenous Voices Guide, featuring Indigenous stories, voices, and perspectives: https://virl.bc.ca/read-watch-listen/audience/indigenous/nihm/

📚 Ready for a summer of stories, challenges, and prizes? Registration is now open for Summer Reading Club and Teen Summer Challenge! Adventures begin July 2. 🌊 https://virl.bc.ca/summer-reading-starts-here-registration-now-open-for-kids-and-teens/

🌡️ Summer turning up the thermostat? Cool off at your local library! Enjoy the A/C, browse, read, use the Wi-Fi, or simply escape the heat—no iced coffee purchase required. 😉📚 https://virl.bc.ca/my-library/find-a-branch/ #CoolOffAtTheLibrary #VIRL #StayCool

The Great Vancouver Island Land Grab is now on display at VIRL's Nanaimo Harbourfront branch. Explore the history and legacy of the E&N land grant. Learn more: thegreatlandgrab.ca #VIRL90

Coming soon! June 4 at Nanaimo Harbourfront Library: The Great Vancouver Island Land Grab explores the legacy of the 1887 E&N land grant. Learn more: virl.bc.ca/en-railway-land-grab-exhibit-nanaimo/

🌈 Happy Pride Month! This month—and every month—we celebrate the diversity, resilience, and contributions of 2SLGBTQI+ communities. Explore books, resources & more: virl.bc.ca/pride-month #PrideMonth #VIRL #LoveIsLove

VIRL turns 90 today! From 6 branches and 12,648 books in 1936 to one of BC's largest regional library systems, we've spent 90 years connecting communities. And yes, there was cake. https://virl.bc.ca/vancouver-island-regional-library-celebrates-90-years-of-service-in-coastal-and-island-communities

What if reconciliation is something we stay rooted in...together? Join Dr. Aaron Mills on May 20 for the final TRC57 Speaker Series webinar before summer break. Register https://virl.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_JKmldLuwS0-j0EuGrUYgxQ#/registration