No library card? No problem. Can’t get to the library to get a card? No problem. Want books? No problem.
The Greater Victoria Public Library (GVPL) wants to make it easier for people to read and to that end the library has started driving a library van to locations around the Greater Victoria area.
OLiVe, short for Outreach Library Van, is painted in bright colours with images of buildings on it. It will have books for lending and some for free. It will also have a Wi-Fi hot spot so interested readers can sign up for a library card. The only criteria for getting a card is to be a resident in the Greater Victoria region and have identification with a home address on it.
“The van will do outreach,” said Jessica Woollard, communications officer for the GVPL. “We will use it to attend festivals and community events, for example the Saanich Fair.”
The van will also be used to replenish the book shelves at Our Place. It will be a way for some people to interact with the library.
The GVPL has almost a million digital items which can be “borrowed” online with a library card. Most of these can be accessed by downloading from the library’s InstantFlix and its cloud library. More information is available on all of the programs and resources at the library at gvpl.ca/digital-content/ebooks-and-more.
The GVPL aims to build community and support literacy and lifelong learning by providing free access to information, space, tools and expertise. GVPL provides services and collection in 10 libraries and online to more than 315,000 residents in 10 municipalities.
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