New Local Reads 

With our Local Reads Collection, we are making it easier than ever for local and independent authors to get their new work into our collection, and for readers to find the latest local titles.

Authors can now fill out an online application form to have their book considered for our print collection. Successful titles, will be available to readers across our library system, and specially labelled so they are easily discovered and celebrated as a local read.

Learn more

Best-selling author shares experiences in virtual talk

Brandi Morin, journalist and best-selling author of Our Voice of Fire: A Memoir of a Warrior Rising, will do a virtual talk April 27.

A survivor of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls crisis, Morin uses her experience to tell the stories of those who did not survive the rampant violence. Morin’s reporting has appeared in National Geographic, Al Jazeera English, the Guardian, NBC THINK, CNN, VICE, ELLE Canada, the Toronto Star, the New York Times, Canadaland, HuffPost, Indian Country Today Media Network, the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network National News, and CBC Indigenous.

Registration is required for this free event, which runs from 5:30 – 7:30 pm. 

Sign me up!

Celebrate National Poetry Month 

Canada is celebrating poetry and poets during National Poetry Month. This April the theme is Joy.

We are excited to share our recommendations for great poetry for all ages and resources to help you create your own. Did you know we also publish a literary magazine called Sea & Cedar? It's full of work, including poetry, by local writers.

Tell me more

Seed libraries continue to grow 

Seed libraries are sprouting up at branches across the Vancouver Island Regional Library system to help promote food security and access to gardening.

Patrons can pick up free seed packets at select locations to grow their gardens and, if they practice seed saving, can donate any extras back to the seed library to help it continue to thrive. 

Find a seed library

Poetry with Susan Musgrave 

Join us for an evening of poetry with Canadian writer Susan Musgrave on April 20. 

Register to join the event virtually and hear Susan Musgrave read from her latest book Exculpatory Lilies.

There is also the option to drop in for the event at the Masset branch. 

Register now

Join the One eRead book club

You can now can join One eRead Canada; a cross-country reading experience.

From April 1-30, you can get free and unlimited eBook and eAudiobook access to Tatouine by Jean-Christophe Réhel, translated by Katherine Hastings and Peter McCambridge from the original French, Ce qu’on respire sur Tatouine.

Learn more

Learn to grow culinary herbs 

Learn to grow a kitchen garden from a master gardener during the latest Virtual Gardening Series event.

This free event from 6:30-8pm, May 1, is for beginners, who will learn propagation methods, location, soil and what they can do to successfully grow a variety of culinary herbs. This event fills up fast so register early!

Register now

Learning with Syeyutsus Speaker Series 

Darwin Hanna is the latest speaker in the free Learning with Syeyutsus Speaker Series. 

Tune in to the virtual talk Our Tellings: Interior Salish Stories of the Nlha7kápmx People from 12-1pm, April 12. Darwin Hanna will speak to a collection of traditional oral narratives from more than 20 storytellers. 

Learn more

Hey Book Lover! What's Your Sign? 

Every month we search for the perfect book pairing for each zodiac sign. This April, it's all about you Aries! We've got book picks to appeal to your outdoorsy and adventurous side. 

What's my biblioscope

New Libby Features 

The Libby app, available for iOS and Android, is the most convenient way to access our OverDrive eBook and Audiobook collections.

Two new features in Libby, Deep Search and Notify Me, make it even easier to find and read the books that interest you most.

If you are still using the legacy OverDrive app on your mobile device, now is the time to switch to Libby.

The OverDrive app is being discontinued at the end of April.

Tell me more

Indigenous Collection 

The Canadian Business Owner's Guide to Reconciliation: Best Practices for Indigenous Inclusion, by Alison Tedford Seaweed, Feb 2023

This 90-page book from Self-Counsel explains how we reached the current state of settler-Indigenous relations in Canada and how readers can make a difference in the way things are done. Author Alison Tedford Seaweed (Nakwaxdaʼxw and Kwakiutl Nations) addresses this complicated history through research and interviews with academics, business owners, and Indigenous relations advisors.

The book addresses how taking steps doing the right thing toward Reconciliation will lead to a stronger foundation for businesses and personal relationships. Also, how a business can be strengthened by a commitment to Indigenous inclusion and retention of staff as well as working Indigenous perspectives into operations.

Place a hold now