Vancouver Public Library locations across the city are closed to prevent the rapid rate of spread of COVID-19.
Even though the Public Library locations are closed, Vancouver Public Library provides plenty of free services that you can access without you ever having to set foot in a “physical” location.
Don’t have a library card? Get one online! this temporary card gives you access to most of the online digital resources except Fast Read ebooks and BiblioCommons library catalog.
Things to Do this Weekend in Vancouver
Here are 10 of the best free services to help you through social distancing:
1. Get access to News from around the World: Your library card gives online access to newspapers and magazines
- Canadian Newsstream – Over 300 BC and major Canadian daily newspapers
- Digital Microfilm Newspapers – National Post, New York Times, Times Colonist, Vancouver Province and the Vancouver Sun
- Infomart
- International Newsstream – over 1300 international newspapers, wire feeds, and more
- New York Times
- PressReader
You can also search for reliable health information use Medline Plus,
PubMed.
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- Free Online Educational Resources
2. Watch free movies:
Watch a variety of content by streaming or downloading the video from your library with the following video services:
- Acorn TV – 7-day access pass for an unlimited streaming video experience with 4 access passes each per calendar month
- CBC Digital Archives – CBC Radio and CBC Television clips from more than 75 years of broadcasting
- IndieFlix – award-winning independent films, shorts, classics and documentaries
- Indigenous Cinema at the NFB
- Medici.tv – The largest classical music streaming library in the world featuring over 1,600 classical music videos, concerts, operas, ballets, documentaries, master classes, artists’ profiles and educational programmes.
- National Film Board
3. Brush up your skills or learn something new: Access video tutorial courses led by professionals in varying fields.
- Great Courses – Until the end of May
- Lynda.com
4. Find a new job: Use library resources to get find a new job or switch careers. Career Cruising is a comprehensive Canadian career guide providing detailed listings of 550 occupations, including education and training information.
5. Learn a new language: Self-isolation and social distancing period may be the best time to learn a new language. Mango Languages has over 70 self-paced language learning courses and dialects.
6. Study through Online Help: There are also several adult learning programs available online with a Vancouver Public library card.
- Clarity English– Improve English Language skills
- EbscoEbooks – Includes classic literature, reference, scholarly monographs, literature and fiction.
- Encyclopaedia Britannica Online for Kids
- Encyclopedia of Canada’s Peoples
- Historica Canada
- Oxford English Dictionary
- Reference Shelf – A multidisciplinary research ebook collection but with a focus on current and classic literary criticism.
7. Listen to chart-topping music in every genre: Did you know that you library card gives you 24/7 access to some great music? Download or stream thousands of music titles for free with services like
8. Research your heritage: Search for local and family histories with guides, interactive census maps, and more.
- Ancestry Library Edition
- British Columbia City Directories – 1860 to 1955
- British Columbia Historical Newspapers – 1865 to 1994
- Globe and Mail: Historical Newspapers – 1844 to 2014
9. Get to know your world: Your library is a great resource to learn history of ancient and medieval civilizations.
- Points to the Past – 1450 to 2008
- Ancient and Medieval history Online
10. Read a magazine or a book: Download a variety of magazines that covers a variety of topics — news, business, entertainment, fashion, and more. Online ebooks are available from:
- AudioBookCloud
- Fast Read Ebooks
- Gale Ebooks
- Livres Numériques (French language ebooks)
- NoveList
- NoveList Kids and Teens
- Qikan – 150 popular Chinese magazines
- RB Digital Audiobooks
- RB Digital Magazines
- RomanceBookCloud
- TeenBookCloud
- TumbleBook Library
- TumbleBookCloud Junior
- TumbleMath – math picture books with animation & narration for reluctant learners.
- Vancouver Indie Authors Collection
- VPL to Go through the Overdrive app
- VPL to Go – Ereading Room for Kids
- VPL to Go – Ereading Room for Teens
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