Research

BC Laws

BC Laws provides free public access to the current laws of British Columbia. This consolidation of BC Statutes and Regulations is updated continually as new and amended laws come into force. (Note: BC Laws now contains content that used to be in QP [Queen’s Printer] Legaleze)
Access: Available to anyone anywhere

BC Stats

Statistics and reports on BC’s population, labour market, economy, business and more.
Access: Available to anyone anywhere

Business Plans Handbook

Actual business plans compiled by, and for, entrepreneurs seeking funding for small businesses. Presents sample plans taken from businesses in the manufacturing, retail and service industries which serve as examples of how to approach, structure and compose business plans.

Career Cruising

Career Cruising programs help people build more purposeful futures by assisting with career exploration and planning. This database offers career assessment tools, detailed occupation profiles, and comprehensive post-secondary education information.

Gale Virtual Reference Library

Find eBooks for business, health, religion, and science topics. Find information on cultural topics like fashion and food. Includes titles from the Experiments for Future STEM Professionals series.

Grant Connect (In-branch only)

Grant Connect is available in-branch only, at a public workstation or when connected to VIRL WiFi. This database is a grant funding information database, with Grant Connect, you have access to:

• Over 11,000 Canadian foundations, 560 corporate giving programs, 370 government grant programs, 120 American foundations, and 200 other kinds of grant opportunities.
• Funder profiles that offer insights on specific grant programs, application preferences, financial summaries, and key decision-makers.
• Data on billions of dollars in past donations.

Kanopy

Kanopy is a video streaming platform for libraries with one of the largest and most unique collections in the world. It features more than 26,000 movies, documentaries, and indie and foreign films from hundreds of producers, including The Criterion Collection, The Great Courses, Kino Lorber, PBS and thousands of independent filmmakers. Browse by subjects to explore and expand your interests.

Cap:

Each library member receives ten checkouts (play credits) and two Great Courses per month. Kanopy Kids requires no play credits. VIRL also offers four PLUS Packs that do not use monthly credits: Favourites, Diversity, World Cinema, and Easy Watching
Access: Available anywhere to VIRL Resident Cardholders

LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com)

LinkedIn Learning is an online learning platform featuring video courses and tutorials. LinkedIn Learning offers courses with a focus on skills for business, creative industries, education, information technology, software, and web development. The tutorials are high quality and led by industry experts.

Our LinkedIn Learning ID is: virl
Our invite URL (needed to log in to app) is: https://www.linkedin.com/learning-login/go/virl

LinkedIn Learning includes topics, software skills, and learning paths for the following subject areas:

• 3D +Animation
• Audio + Music
• Business
• CAD
• Design
• Developer
• Education
• Information Technology
• Marketing
• Photography
• Video
• Web

PressReader

The world’s largest online newspaper and magazine kiosk, where you can browse and read hundreds of full-content premium newspapers and magazines from around the globe. Access is for 30 days after library sign-in. You will need to follow the steps to sign in as a library member after that 30 day period, to re-start another 30 days of access.

Access to the Globe & Mail is in-branch only. Canadian Newsstream provides access to the Globe & Mail from home.

Please note that access to PressReader requires library customers to provide first and last name and email address to authenticate use. For more information, contact info@virl.bc.ca or review PressReader’s Privacy Policy here.

ProQuest Central

ProQuest Central is a comprehensive research resource for academic, business, health, and news articles. It includes 47 databases in a single platform. Users can search all databases or select individual databases under the Change Databases tab.

ProQuest Central collection highlights:

• Popular news publications including New York Times, Atlantic Monthly, and Washington Post
• Business Databases including ABI/INFORM and Canadian Business and Current Affairs (CBCA)
• Academic research resources focusing on Science and Technology, Social Sciences, Health, The Arts, and more