What’s Happening

We have removed a significant literacy barrier to give more children access to our important reading and learning resources. As of January 1, 2019, all fines on children’s materials have been eliminated, and all outstanding fines waived.

After all, children should not be faulted or punished for overdue library items — instead, they should have barriers to access removed so they can grow and learn without limitations.

Let’s let kids be kids.

Find out more here.

Family Literacy Day is an annual celebration — founded by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999 and always held on January 27 — that raises awareness about the importance of literacy and encourages families to engage together in reading and other literacy-related activities.

At VIRL, one day never felt like enough, so we expanded our celebration to an entire week, starting on January 20 each year and ending on January 27.

From Sidney in the South to Haida Gwaii and Bella Coola in the north, VIRL’s Family Literacy Week is seven days of programs and activities that encourage library users of every age and ability to celebrate literacy and learning. And these days, literacy is about so much more than being able to read books. There’s digital literacy — such as coding and other forms of computational thinking — and the myriad other ways we have to find, comprehend, and communicate information in today’s rapidly evolving world.

Take a look at our chock-a-block events calendar to see for yourself all the wonderful ways VIRL branches are inspiring and promoting literacy across our service area during Family Literacy Week, and every week in between.

Here are a few highlights to get you excited:

Celebrations

• Comox
• Courtenay
• Cumberland

Scavenger Hunts

• Nanaimo North
• Bella Coola

Storytimes

• Various branches

STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math)

• Cowichan
• Quadra Island
• Nanaimo Harbourfront
• Nanaimo Harbourfront