October 2026

NEWS

Vampire, pumpkin, mummy and Frankenstine-themed totes bags rest behind a pile of Halloween candy.

Top 10 fall crafts

Fall into the season with crafts from Creativebug, a free online arts and crafts tutorial service.

Get started on Creativebug with our top 10 fall crafts, from velvet pumpkins to trick or treat bags, paper plant décor and Halloween clothespin dolls. What are you waiting for? Let's get crafting.

Top 10 fall crafts

A library worker holds up a poster that says October, I love my library.

Celebrate Library Month!

October is Library Month—a time to celebrate all the ways libraries help people and communities read, learn, connect, discover and grow.

This year, there’s even more to celebrate at Vancouver Island Regional Library. We’re marking 90 years of serving communities across Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii and the Central Coast—and looking ahead to the next 90 with VIRL Lights the Way, our new advocacy framework highlighting why public libraries matter today and for generations to come.

This month, visit your local library, take part in an event, sign our virtual guestbook and more as part of Library Month!

Celebrate Library Month!

Librarian Ina Gourley reading to children at the Ladysmith branch. (circa 1977)

Share your library story

To celebrate Vancouver Island Regional Library’s 90th Anniversary and Library Month, we’ve launched a virtual guestbook—and we’d love to hear from you!

Whether it’s a childhood visit, a favourite book, a lifelong connection, a special program or simply a place that felt like home, share the story or memory that makes your local library meaningful to you.

Sign our virtual guestbook

A map of Vancouver Island and the location of Vancouver Island Regional Library branches,.

Last call for library Passport adventure

The final chapter of Vancouver Island Regional Library's 90th Anniversary Passport adventure happens this month.

The 90th Anniversary Passport Program, which wraps up October 31, encourages people to visit library branches, collect unique branch stamps, and discover the diverse communities that make us one of British Columbia’s largest and most geographically unique public library systems. Along the way, you’ll be entered for a chance to win prizes while celebrating the places, people, and stories that have shaped VIRL for nine decades. There's still time to start the passport - or finish the last stops on the list.

All passports must include completed contact information and be returned to a VIRL branch by October 31 for a chance to win prizes.

90th Anniversary Passport Program

An exhibit stands on the library floor at the Cowichan branch.

E&N travelling exhibit

Visitors can now explore The Great Vancouver Island Land Grab travelling exhibit at the Cowichan branch.

The exhibit, showcased at the branch during open hours this October, examines the history and ongoing legacy of the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway land grant, a pivotal chapter in Vancouver Island's history that continues to shape communities, land use and treaty negotiations today.

E&N Exhibit details

Upcoming events

A picture of author Jenn Ashton smiling.

Jenn Ashton virtual book launch

Join the virtual launch of Jenn Ashton’s memoir, Growing My Way Home: Stories of Resilience and Care! from 6-7pm, October 8.

Jenn Ashton is an award-winning Sḵwx̱wú7mesh author, visual artist, filmmaker, and historian. Her latest book is a sad and truthful work of autofiction chronicling one woman’s struggle through events all too common among a people who have been separated from their culture and their language. Register to get a reminder about the event.

Jenn Ashton book launch

Watch the next Syeyutsus speaker

The free, virtual speaker series continues Wednesday, October 14 from 12-1pm with Dr. Gina Starblanket and Dr. Heidi Kiiwetinepinesiik Stark.

Drawing from their chapter in the book, Resurgence and Reconciliation: Indigenous–Settler Relations and Earth Teachings, they explore how relationships—when lived with care and accountability—can guide transformative change in law, governance, and everyday life.

TRC57 Speaker Series

A series of garden tools lies on a table.

Master gardener shares tips on tools

Don't miss the last two Virtual Gardening Series courses of the year.

Learn from Master Gardeners about how to choose the right tools to avoid frustration (October 5) and the berries and small garden fruits you can grow at home (November 2). Both events are free and take place on Zoom from 6:30-8 pm. Participants must register to receive the Zoom link.

Virtual Gardening Series

Want to find events near you? Check out our calendar anytime.

Events calendar

Legit Library Hack

An open laptop with a home screen with a collage of movie titles

Stream films free with Kanopy

Did you know you can stream movies and TV shows to your Smart TV for free with your library card?

Kanopy is our free video streaming service, featuring 26,000 movies, documentaries, indie and foreign films and kid-friendly shows. There are no ads and you can watch Kanopy from your web browser, phone or Smart TV.

Tell me more about Kanopy

Staff picks: Halloween Reads

Book cover for The Whistler. A hand appears in the lens of a camera.

Book cover for The Witch. Two birds, one coming from the top and one from the bottom meet in the middle, beak to beak

Book cover for Tis the Season to be Scary. A large dog holding a trick or treat jack-o-lantern and a small dog wearing a costume stand in front of an old mansion.