VI Regional Library Bowser

08/26/2026

08/07/2026

🚗☀️ Hit the road, visit libraries, collect stamps and WIN PRIZES! 🎉📚

VIRL’s 90th Anniversary Passport Program is happening all summer long, and every library stop can get you closer to a prize!

Pick up your FREE passport at any Vancouver Island Regional Library branch, toss it in the glovebox, and start exploring. Visit branches across our incredible service area, collect unique stamps, discover new communities and enter for your chance to win!

- Visit any 5 VIRL branches to enter the Main Prize Draw (we have 39 branches!).
- Complete a passport region to enter one of 11 Regional Prize Draws PLUS earn another entry into the Main Prize Draw.
- With 11 regions to explore, from the South Island to Haida Gwaii and Bella Coola, how far will your passport take you?

Think you can visit more than FOUR VIRL branches this summer? 👀 Consider this your challenge. Visit an old favourite, then venture a little farther and discover a branch you’ve never been to before. You might just find a new favourite along the way.

No library card needed. No purchase required. Just stop by, explore and get stamped!

Keep collecting all summer and return your passport by October 31, 2026.

👉 Learn more: virl.bc.ca/90th

Grab your passport. Plan a road trip. Collect your stamps. Win prizes. Celebrate 90 years of VIRL! 🚙📚✨

07/29/2026

📚 Stock up before the long weekend!

All VIRL branches will be closed on Monday, August 3 for BC Day.

Borrow your next great read, movie, audiobook, or eBook before the weekend, or explore our digital collection anytime at virl.bc.ca.

Have a safe, happy, and relaxing BC Day! ☀️

07/24/2026

🎉 What a wonderful way to celebrate 90 years of library service!

We were thrilled to welcome Tamara Kronis, Member of Parliament for Nanaimo—Ladysmith, to our Nanaimo North branch for a special visit filled with smiles, stories, songs and celebration.

During her visit, MP Kronis toured the branch, joined families for one of our popular Baby Rhyme Time programs, and presented Vancouver Island Regional Library with a Certificate of Recognition in honour of our 90th anniversary. Executive Director Eileen Gillette and Board Chair Jonathan Lerner were honoured to accept the certificate on behalf of VIRL.

Receiving this recognition is a meaningful milestone as we celebrate nine decades of serving the people and communities of Vancouver Island. From introducing our youngest readers to the magic of books through Baby Rhyme Time to supporting lifelong learning across 39 branches, we're proud of the role libraries continue to play in bringing people together.

A heartfelt thank you to MP Kronis for helping us celebrate this special anniversary and for recognizing the impact libraries have in our communities. Here's to the next chapter!

💙 Happy 90th Anniversary, VIRL!

07/08/2026

Join us tomorrow, Thursday, July 9 at 2:30 pm to create perler bead art! Supplies provided. All ages welcome with a caregiver. 🤩

Come and make beautiful fuse bead art with us. All supplies provided.

07/03/2026

In lieu of our weekly storytime, we will be offering the following events for kids at the Bowser Library in July and August. Please join us!

07/02/2026

🎉 It's finally here... TODAY'S THE DAY! Your summer reading adventure starts now! 📚☀️

Whether you're raising a little bookworm, have a teen looking for a fun challenge, or you're ready to tackle your own summer reading goals, we've got something for everyone!

🐠 Kids can dive into an Under the Sea Summer Reading Club.
🐉 Teens can embark on the Sea of Monsters Teen Summer Challenge.
📖 And of course, adults can join the Adult Summer Reading Challenge and read for a chance to win great prizes!

Read. Explore. Complete challenges. Win prizes. It's free, fun, and happening all summer long at your local VIRL branch.

📚 Okay, we want to know... What's the first story you'll be reading this summer? 👇

Learn more and get started today:
https://virl.bc.ca/summer-reading-starts-here-registration-now-open-for-kids-and-teens/

07/01/2026

🏡The TRC57 Speaker Series has a new online home.

Whether you're looking to revisit a presentation, share a speaker with your class, or find a topic you'd like to learn more about, the new website makes it easy.

Use the search bar to explore sessions by subject, browse past speakers, and register for upcoming events, all in one place.

As National Indigenous History Month comes to a close, it's a reminder that learning doesn't end with June. If you missed any of this year's speakers, you can watch them anytime, and registration is now open for our next live event this October.

👀Take a look: https://trc57speakerseries.ca/

04/08/2026

🤩Bowser families, we are thrilled to be offering a weekly storytime program!🥳 Join us every Tuesday at 10 am for a special storytime, starting April 14. 📖

Free, drop-in, aimed at children ages 0-5 with their caregiver.

Join us for songs, stories and fun! This is a free drop-in program for children aged 0 – 5 years …