Vancouver Island Regional Library (VIRL) celebrates 90 years of service to communities across Vancouver Island, Haida Gwaii, Bella Coola, and the Central Coast. Established in 1936, VIRL is one of the first shared service organizations in British Columbia and a cornerstone of community wellbeing.
It all began with a small grant of $500 from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, six library branches and a collection of 12,648 books. Today, VIRL is one of British Columbia’s largest and most geographically diverse public library systems, serving urban centres and some of Canada’s most rural and remote communities. This milestone reflects more than the growth of an organization. It represents a shared public value: access to information, ideas, learning, and opportunity must be available to everyone.
Read more from Vancouver Island Regional Library.