Five tips for homework help at the library 

It's almost time for students to go back to school and we've pulled together five great resources that can help wtih homework and home learning. All of the homework help is free with a library card! 

Check it out!

It's Library Card Sign-Up Month! 

Celebrate Library Card Sign-up Month by exploring what makes library cards and libraries amazing. 

Library cards help you unlock a treasure trove of free resources both in-branch and at home, from craft tutorials to video games, streaming music and movies, books, ebooks, cultural literacy kits and more. Click on the link below for 10 cool things you can do with your card. 

Unlock cool library resources

Navigate the 2022 election 

The General Local Election happens this October. Not only are there key dates coming up for people interested in putting their names forward for municipal councils, regional district electoral areas, boards of education (and more) and for voters, but there is a lot of information to help potential candidates and the public navigate the election season.

We’re here to help and will be sharing accurate resources and information throughout the election, so be sure to bookmark our election page. 

Election 2022

Sea & Cedar available to buy

Good news! For the first time, hard copies of Sea & Cedar Magazine are available for sale.

Sea & Cedar Magazine, featuring art and writing from local contributors, is now available to buy for $15.75 for those who wish to keep a copy forever. To order one, please email Sea & Cedar Magazine at seacedarmag@virl.bc.ca and your copy will be shipped to your nearest branch.

Don't forget you can also get this magazine for free by viewing it online or borrowing it from our catalogue.

Find it now

Virtual Gardening Series: Dahlias 

Learn all about dahlias in our next Virtual Gardening Series event on September 12. 

Join Master Gardener D. Gwen Carlson-Redcliffe to learn about the seasonal care of dahlias. She'll also cover the basics for novices and offer some tips and tricks for the more experienced gardener. 

The event will take place from 6:30-8pm.  

Register now

COVID in the House of OLD 

An exhibit honouring seven lives impacted by COVID-19 is on display at the Nanaimo Harbourfront branch until September 15. It can be viewed during regular branch hours.

“This exhibit aims to give a voice to the thousands of Canadians living in long-term care who were silenced and suffered through the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Professor Megan Davies, health historian at York University and the exhibit’s creator.

Tell me more

Fresh Start: Back-to-School Haircuts Event 

Every child deserves a fresh start for the new school year. To help, Barber Dave from That 50's Barber Shop and his friends would like to offer any school-aged child a chance to pick up a backpack stuffed with donated school supplies and get a haircut. What do we ask for in return?

Children simply bring their favourite short story or drawing down to the Nanaimo Harbourfront Library on Sunday, September 4 from 12:30-4pm. Easy!

Learn more

Hey Book Lover! What's Your Sign? 

Hey Virgo! All signs predict that hard work, confidence and courage will pay off this year with opportunity and good luck. We like those odds! Check out these great titles we've pulled together to line up with your year ahead. 

Biblioscope

Get OverDrive on Kobo

Most of our customers know about accessing our eBooks on their phone or tablet using the Libby App, but did you know you can also add library eBooks to your Kobo eReader?

Some users prefer eReaders instead of print books and other devices because they are small and light, easy on the eyes and have a longer battery life than other devices.

If you have a newer Kobo, you can check out books directly on your device using the built-in OverDrive feature. Simply add your card in Settings, then search for books in the OverDrive menu on your device. Or add eBooks that have already been checked out on another device by pressing the “Sync” button at the top of the Kobo’s screen.

Tell me more

Indigenous Collection

Snuneymuxw History Written in Places and Spaces: Ancestor’s Voices –An Echo in Time by C'tasi:a/Geraldine Manson, June 2022

From the publisher, New Society Publishers:

Snuneymuxw History Written in Places and Spaces: Ancestors’ Voices — An Echo in Time seeks to promote appreciation of the history and culture of Snuneymuxw First Nation on Gabriola Island. In the spirit of syeyutsus (walking together), Traditional Knowledge Keeper and Snuneymuxw Elder Geraldine Manson, C’tasi:a, offers a deeper understanding of the Nation’s ongoing relationship to the land.

Produced through a partnership between Snuneymuxw First Nation, the Gabriola Historical and Museum Society, and New Society Publishers, this booklet draws on the sacred knowledge shared and passed down through Snuneymuxw oral history and culture.

Place a hold now