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Books are only tip of the iceberg when it comes to what libraries offer and what your library card can help you access. You can find everything from video games to streaming music, literacy kits, thermal cameras and more!

Each of our 39 branches from Haida Gwaii to Port Hardy and Sooke is a little unique as well, offering special features ranging from seed libraries to light therapy lamps and board games. Support your library by exploring your local branch or take advantage of one of the cool resources or features offered to library users.

Don’t have a library card yet? Visit your local branch or sign up here.

Ten cool features at your regional library

1.Listen to music. Whether you are going on a road trip or having a dance party at home, we’ve got you covered! You can access 15-million free (and ad-free) tunes on your device with Freegal Music. You can stream music up to three hours every day and download five songs each week with your library card.

2.Stream movies. Watch a movie, read-along story book and more on Kanopy or Kanopy Kids. Kanopy has one of the largest and most unique collections in the world, with 26,000 movies, documentaries and indie and foreign films (including BBC).

Hot tips: You can also stream direct to your Smart TV. Sign up through the library first and then follow these instructions. With Kanopy Kids,  you can enjoy unlimited plays and set parental controls.

3.Read a digital magazine or newspaper.  Browse our digital newspaper and magazine racks. Here are three places you can find magazines or newspapers:

• • The Libby App (download on Google Play or the App store): Find magazines like Maclean’s, Hello! Canada and Toronto Life
  • Pressreader :Get newspapers and magazines, including in 65 different languages
  • Canadian Newsstream  : This resource has 463 daily and weekly newspapers, including the Globe and Mail, National Post, Toronto Star, Calgary Herald, Montreal Gazette and Ottawa Citizen.

4.Get a digital audiobook or eBook. Download the Libby App to start browsing your digital book, audiobook and magazine options and find great recommendations for your next read. Did you know it has features like dyslexic font and the ability to annotate books? We also now have Blackstone Unlimited, a free app with more than 6,000 electronic audiobooks for all ages with no holds, waits or set checkout periods. Use your library card to access Libby and Blackstone Unlimited.

5.Learn a skill. From photography to 3D animation, VIRL’s LinkedIn Learning database offers business, software, technology and creative video courses and tutorials taught by industry experts.

6.Start a book club! Hosting book clubs is easier with book club sets from the library. Book clubs can borrow totes filled with up to 12 copies of one title and a discussion guide, allowing members to read a copy of the same book at the same time. It’s free. Learn more.

7.Learn a new language. Mango Languages is a fun, interactive resource that lets you learn a new language from your computer or mobile device with your library card. It has 45 different languages and is free with a library card. Get started here.

8.Join a community group or event at your local library.  Take a look at our chock-a-block events calendar to see what’s happening near you or drop in to explore your local library. Many of our branches offer fun and educational storytimes for children and families, knitting groups or book clubs and other fun activities. For those already visiting the branch, there are often activities like scavenger hunts, colouring pages and take-and-make crafts to enjoy.

9.Explore local history – or your own background! Did you know we have an archive of daily British Columbian newspapers, including The Times Colonist (1884-2010), The Province (1894-2010) and The Vancouver Sun (1912-2010)?Proquest BC Historical Newspapers is available without a library card to anyone accessing it from BC and Yukon; no login is required. The database includes articles, images, and even ads; the entire newspaper page has been digitized to provide a similar experience to reading a print newspaper. Yet unlike a print newspaper it is fully searchable.

Investigate your past with Ancestry Library Edition. This genealogy collection is available in-branch only (at a public workstation or when connected to VIRL Wi-fi) and includes census, vital, church, court and immigration records from the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe and the United Kingdom.

10.Check out our literacy kits for kids! We have themed literacy kits on a wide range of topics from wild animals and pirates, to divorce, anxiety and work-related absences. Each kit comes in a backpack or plastic tote and has books, CDs, DVDs and/or toys approved by our librarians for either babies, toddlers, preschoolers or kindergarteners. We also have cultural literacy kits focusing on different cultures like Coast Salish, Korean and Arabic. Learn more.

Explore our website for MORE great databases and resources!