VIRL and VIU partner on new family space

This September, Vancouver Island University students with young children will be able to enjoy a new family space equipped with a collection of children’s books on loan from Vancouver Island Regional Library.

The new family space at the VIU Library will include books to help with early childhood literacy, computer workstations and seating. It will also be a 2SLGBTQ+ and breastfeeding-friendly space. 

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The Witness Blanket moves North

A reproduction of a powerful art installation recognizing the atrocities of the residential school-era will be on display in Campbell River this month.

Vancouver Island Regional Library has joined forces with the Laichwiltach Family Life Society, Campbell River Arts Council, Campbell River Museum and City of Campbell River to bring the replica of the Witness Blanket to Campbell River.

The Witness Blanket is currently at the Nanaimo Harbourfront branch until Sept. 11. The public can see it at the Laichwiltach Family Life Society in Campbell River from Sept. 20-Oct.30.

The blanket, created by master carver Carey Newman, honours the children of the residential school era and symbolizes ongoing reconciliation. The original Witness Blanket is currently undergoing conservation at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in Winnipeg. The reproduction going to Campbell River was developed in partnership by Newman and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights to allow additional venues to share its stories and messages.

Studying with SOLARO

The start of the school year can be an anxious time for students and their caregivers and never more so than after learning disruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic. Students may need to review what they learned last year before jumping into another year of learning, home-learning parents are working on their lesson plans, students entering Grade 12 have provincial exam prep on their minds and adult learners are looking for study tools to help them complete high school.

We offer SOLARO, an exam prep and study app for students in grades 3-12. Based on the BC Curriculum, SOLARO provides study notes and practice tests for English/Language Arts, Science, and Math. Users can also customize their study with their own notes and flashcards. Parents of younger students can use SOLARO materials as a framework or to build up their own skills to help with homework, while older students can work through material independently. SOLARO is great for teachers and tutors too!

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Book lover, what's your sign?

Hello all you Virgos. This month, dive into new book recommendations that play to your practical side and your gentle heart.

Biblioscope

Indigenous Collection

On the trapline, by David A. Robertson, May 2021.

From the publisher, Tundra Books:

A picture book celebrating Indigenous culture and traditions. The Governor General Award-winning team behind When We Were Alone shares a story that honours our connections to our past and our grandfathers and fathers.

A boy and Moshom, his grandpa, take a trip together to visit a place of great meaning to Moshom. A trapline is where people hunt and live off the land, and it was where Moshom grew up. As they embark on their northern journey, the child repeatedly asks his grandfather, "Is this your trapline?" Along the way, the boy finds himself imagining what life was like two generations ago -- a life that appears to be both different from and similar to his life now. This is a heartfelt story about memory, imagination and intergenerational connection that perfectly captures the experience of a young child's wonder as he is introduced to places and stories that hold meaning for his family.

Find it in our collection