A young boy browses book shelves in the children's section of Nanaimo North LIbrary.

March 2025 

NEWS
Two birds made of yarn with feathers as wings, are perched on a branch.

Top 10 spring crafts! 

We’ve pulled together crafts from Creativebug that are bound to get the whole family excited for spring. Learn how to create DIY bunny ears, felt flower headbands, yarn birds and more. Creativebug is an art and craft resource with thousands of online video classes that's free with your library card.

Top 10 spring crafts

Spring break fun comes to the library

The library has you covered for family-friendly spring break activities - and it's all free! 

We have book recommendations, a scavenger hunt and a virtual event for kids with artist and researcher Sheila Karrow, all based around this year's theme, New Shoots, Deep Roots. 

Find out more about spring break!
A library staff members sits on a chair and holds up an iPad with an image of the cover of Sea & Cedar Magazine.

Sea & Cedar Magazine seeks art and writing

Sea & Cedar, our literary and art magazine, is now accepting previously unpublished short fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction and art for its Fall issue. 

The magazine, which showcases local artists and writers, is accepting submissions until May 3. 

Get submissions details here!

The new Masset library is a long, wood building, with windows throughout, still under construction.

New library branch expected to open soon

Our newest branch in Masset, B.C. is expected to open to the community this spring. 

The new building will not only offer double the space, expanded hours of operations, more programs and features like a bookable meeting room, but it has a mission to preserve the local Haida language and knowledge. 

The library, created in partnership with Xaad Kíl Née (Haida Language Office), Old Masset Village Council and the Village of Masset, still needs donations to help with construction and the interior space. To help, please visit the website below.

Help support the Masset library
A library worker holds out a handful of garden seeds available for free at the Nanaimo Harbourfront library.

Dig into gardening resources at the library!

Looking to turnip your gardening game? The library can help! 

Whether it's getting advice from Master Gardeners in our wildly popular Virtual Gardening Series, book recommendations or free seeds, the library is the place to go as you get your garden started this spring. Click on the link below to register for upcoming, virtual gardening series events (the next one is on spring bulbs, April 7) and to find out what branches offer free garden seeds. 

Browse our gardening resources

Upcoming events 

One eRead Canada launches April 1

Mark your calendars! From April 1-30, Canadians will come together for a country-wide reading experience with One eRead Canada.

One eRead Canada is a digital book club and an initiative of the Canadian Urban Libraries Council (CULC). For the month of April, Vancouver Island Regional Library readers can get free, unlimited access to the eBook and digital audiobook version of Valid by Chris Bergeron. Download the book from the Libby app, give it a read and join the discussion on Facebook with bookworms from across the country.

One eRead Canada

Watch the next Syeyutsus speaker  

The free, virtual Learning with Syeyutsus speaker series, continues Thursday, April 3, from 12-1pm with speaker Éléna Choquette and her talk, Beneath the Veneer of Peace: Liberal Ideals and the Violent Reality of Canada’s Expansion. 

The associate professor in the Department of Social Sciences at the Université du Québec en Outaouais will offer a fresh perspective on Canada’s nation-building efforts and challenge dominant narratives about its history.

Click the link below to register for this event and others in the speaker series. 

Learning with Syeyutsus
Sheila Karrow, a teacher and artist, smiles as she kneels with a dog

Spring break fun with Sheila Karrow 

On Tuesday, March 26 at 5pm, join us for a family-friendly virtual event with Sheila Karrow. 

Sheila Karrow, an artist, teacher and researcher who divides her time between Cowichan and Haida Gwaii, will talk to families about climate change and forest ecology as part of this year's Spring Break program, New Shoots, Deep Roots. There will also be a fun art activity! 

The virtual event is just one of the great activities for families available during spring break. Browse our event calendar at virl.bc.ca for more great ideas.

Register for Sheila Karrow

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

Events calendar

Legit Library Hack 
A hand holds up a phone with an image of the Times Colonist newspaper.

Free access to Canadian news 

Bypass paywalls and read up on the latest Canadian (or international news) with PressReader. 

Library users can use their library card to get free access through PressReader, to international and Canadian newspapers and magazines in more than 60 languages. PressReader also has a news feed which aggregates the day’s top stories from Canadian and international newspapers. If you’re looking for information on a specific topic, you can search by keyword in all of the available publications.

Tell me about PressReader

Staff picks: International Women's Day
Cover of She Said by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey
Cover of We Are Here edited by Nahid Shahalimi. A woman in black looks off in the distance with her hands folded in front of her.
The cover of Our Voice of Fire by Brandi Morin. A woman holds a drum.


More book recommendations

Vancouver Island Regional Library | 90 Commercial St. Nanaimo BC | communications@virl.bc.ca