News and Stories

Unfortunately, no. As of Tuesday, December 10, our extra catalogue, Bibliocommons, is no longer available to VIRL users as we focus on bringing all library users into the current catalogue. As a result, any personal information tied to logins in Bibliocommons will be lost, including login nicknames, shelves, lists, reviews, comments, tags, ratings, private notes, suggested age suitability and content advisory suggestions.

Any website pages that contain “virl.bibliocommons.com” will also no longer work.

When you visit our website you can sign into My Account with your library card barcode and PIN. Your PIN is a four-digit code you set when you signed up for your library card. If you cannot remember your pin, please contact your local branch for help. You can then search our catalogue, which is automatically linked to Encore. You can also visit the catalogue directly here.

You can also view these videos:

Where to find Encore

How to search the Encore catalogue

Encore lists

Encore has the same great Vancouver Island Regional Library titles and holdings you are used to. You’ll be able to see patron details, like holds, checked out items, fines and VIRL staff comments that are in your patron record. There’s also an option to enable a reading history list (a list of what’s been checked out) as well as integration with Overdrive/Libby, so you can check out and manage all  your Libby holds within the catalogue. For more information about the Encore catalogue, please visit our Catalogue Tips page.

You can create a temporary list or log in to permanently save your list. Here’s how to make a list of materials in the collection:

1. Click the shopping cart icon in the search result area
2. To move titles from your cart to your list, click My Cart (top right of the page)
3. Click the Save to List button
4. There will be an option to save the items to an existing list (in a dropdown menu) or to a new list. Be sure to click the Add (or Create) button to finish the process.

Your lists are found under your account when you log in:

1. Click on your name near the top right of the page
2. Click My Lists in the left-hand column.

Watch our video on how to set up and use Encore lists here.

To cancel one hold (instead of all), log into your My Account on Encore and select the item(s) you wish to cancel using the check-box on the left-hand side under “Cancel”. Once you’ve checked your selections, simply click “UPDATE LIST” (at the bottom right). This will cancel only those items you have selected.

You can find out what’s on order in several ways.

1.In Encore, use the keyword search and type “on order” in quotation marks and then under “results” you can choose how the information is sorted. Choose “by date.”

2. Use Advanced Search in Encore and type in the keyword “on order” in quotation marks. Add in 2024 to 2024 in year (or 2025 if you’d like to see what’s coming in the new year).

3. You can also go to our Popular Search page on the website and click the drop down menu titled “on order” to browse.

Unfortunately, user nicknames will not be available in Encore. In our efforts to continually improve our catalogue experience for library users, we’ll look for opportunities to make login and account access as easy as possible.

We have two Encore environments for mobile users (iPhone, Android or tablets)!

Download our “MyLibrary” app that is available for iOs and Android devices. Direct links to this app can be found here.

Alternatively, you can navigate to the bottom of the catalogue homepage here using your Safari, Chrome, or Firefox browser. You can choose to select “Mobile Site”.

The browser recommended for Encore use is Chrome.

For more information about the Encore catalogue, please visit our Catalogue Tips page. If you still have questions, please contact info@virl.bc.ca.