February 23 Circulation System Upgrade
February 17, 2026
The library’s circulation system will undergo an upgrade on February 23, 2026. Library users may experience a service disruption between …
News and Stories
You Spoke, We Listened
February 16, 2026
We’re excited to share another improvement to your upgraded catalogue experience. As of February 3, a brand-new Account Portal …
Canada Post Strike
October 23, 2025
Library users may experience delays during the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) work stoppage. This includes delays to the …
Ask us about our upgraded catalogue
July 30, 2025
Exciting news! Our catalogue upgrade is going to make exploring VIRL’s vast collection of books, audiobooks, eBooks, and more easier …
2024 Holiday Closures
December 16, 2024
In celebration of the holiday season, all VIRL branches will be closed: Wednesday, December 25 Thursday, December 26 Friday, December …
Inclement Weather Branch Update: November 21, 2024
November 21, 2024
Update: November 21, 2024 (11:00 am) Due to power outages, some VIRL branches remain closed today. Please check back here …
Catalogue Scheduled Update Oct. 8 (Catalogue Unavailable)
October 1, 2024
We are pleased to announce that the VIRL catalogue will be undergoing upgrades on Tuesday, October 8 between 10pm and …
December 30 Service Disruption
November 27, 2023
December 30, 2023: Service Disruption to Catalogues, Online Accounts, and eResources On Saturday, December 30, beginning at approximately 3 am, …
Service Disruption Notice
March 19, 2023
The library’s catalogue will undergo an upgrade on Monday, April 3. Customers may experience a service disruption between 9 pm …
Fast Facts about Vancouver Island Regional Library
- Vancouver Island Regional Library is the fifth largest library system in British Columbia.
- Holdings at Vancouver Island Regional Library number almost one million and include books, magazines, CD’s and DVD’s. Card holders can borrow materials from any of our 39 locations.
- In 2012 there were 2.6 million visits to our branches and our customers borrowed 4.6 million items.
- Vancouver Island Regional Library opened its doors in 1936 as the Vancouver Island Union Library. We were the second regional library in North America.
- With 39 branch libraries across the island, Vancouver Island Regional Library serves over 430,000 people on Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii and the Central Coast (Bella Coola)
