5 Useful Library Services and Resources You Need to Know in BC

In the spring of 2022, I participated in a volunteer program called the Library Champion Program.

Regarding this experience, I got an opportunity to learn about the various services offered by the library as part of this program.

I had been a casual user of libraries until then, but I was surprised to find out how many services are available free of charge!

This time, I would like to summarize some of the recommended services of the library in Burnaby, BC, Canada, where I volunteer.

The number of books on loan and their duration are amazing

You can borrow up to 50 Books, CDs, DVDs, Audio Books at one time

The first service that libraries provide is the ability to borrow books.

With a few exceptions, most books, DVDs, magazines, and music/audiobook CDs can be borrowed from Burnaby’s libraries for 28 days, up to 50 titles at a time. (Speed reads and views are available for 7 days).

I was surprised at this number, as my local library in Japan allowed only about 10 books to be borrowed.

I was almost worried that the library would run out of books if all the users borrowed that many books in Vancouver, where there are many international students.

But I was surprised to see so many books on the shelves at my local library.

Holds are also limited to 50 titles at a time

When you want to keep a book in the library, or when a book you have wanted to borrow is already checked out by someone else, you can reserve it (hold) so that you can borrow it on a priority basis.

Holds can be easily placed online, and you will receive an e-mail notification when the reserved book is ready.

Items on hold are placed on special hold shelves at the entrance or near the circulation desk, and can be easily picked up based on the ID listed in the e-mail.

Borrowed books can be extended up to two times (Renew)

If you wish to postpone the return of a book because you are unable to read it by the due date, you can extend the loan period up to two times (Renew).

In this case, the return date is counted from the date of the renewal, so if you extend the loan period while it is still open, the number of days will be moved forward.

For example:

If you borrow a book on August 2, the original due date will be August 30 (28 days later).

If you renew the book on August 27 (three days before the due date),

the new due date will be September 24 (28 days after August 27).

If the original loan period is 28 days and you extend it twice just before the due date, you can borrow the book for a maximum of 84 days.

Note that Burnaby’s library does not allow extensions the items listed below:

Books already held by others
Interlibrary loans (it is originally belonging to other libraries)
Speed reads and Speed views
some other titles（Refer to: Burnaby public library page）

You can return books to other libraries in your jurisdiction

What I personally found so convenient about this is that you can return books to a different library than where you borrowed them!

So you can return a book you borrowed from a library in Burnaby to a library in Vancouver, and vice versa.

Any library in the InterLINK area will send the book back to the original library, no matter where you return it.

Note that this also does not apply to Interlibrary loans.

Free music and video streaming services are available with a library card

kanopy

KANOPY is a video streaming service available to all library users.

It is available in over 100 languages and offers free access to up to 10 videos per month from over 20,000 titles (as of July 2022).

While it doesn’t have as many titles as NETFLIX or Prime video, it does have some kid-friendly content that I highly recommend!

NAXOS

NAXOS is also a free streaming service available to anyone with a library card.

The NAXOS video library offers ad-free access to classical music, opera, and other video works.

A smartphone app is also available.

You can also read newspapers online

Pressreader

Pressreader is an online service that allows you to read newspapers and magazines from around the world, available on your computer and smartphone app.

It is available in 100 countries and more than 60 languages, and you can also create an account to manage your favorite media in a list.

You can read magazines and newspapers that you would normally pay to subscribe to for free if you have a library card, so that’s pretty good value content!

And study languages, for free!

Mango language

Mango language is a language learning application that can be done using a smartphone or computer.

In addition to English, there are also courses in Spanish, French, Chinese, and other languages, with more than 70 languages to learn.

Lessons start from simple greetings, so if there is a language you are interested in, you can easily try it from scratch!

Road to IELTS

Road to IELTS is an English language learning application that specializes in preparation for the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), the English language exam.

The course consists of Academic and General sections, and it is designed to prepare students for the four sections of the test: Reading, Listening, Writing, and Speaking, just like the actual test.

This is one of the tests that you will submit as proof of English proficiency when applying for permanent residence in Canada, and the General test in particular is a good skill to acquire as it is more in line with life in the local community.

Even if you do not plan to take the IELTS exam, you want to improve your English comprehensively!

Tense Buster

Tense Buster is an online English learning course that offers courses at five levels, from beginner to advanced.

The content is designed to help students improve their overall academic skills in reading, writing, listening, and speaking by learning vocabulary and grammar in a lesson format.

This content is recommended for those who are not good at grammar.

They also support job information sharing and career development

O’Reilly

O’Reilly (formerly Safari Books Online) offers learning resources on business, technology, design, science, engineering, travel, hobbies, health, and more.

Shared content includes over 50,000 books published by major publishers (including pre-release titles) and over 30,000 hours of video in total.

You can browse case studies, learning paths, and expert playlists from top companies.

Skilled Immigrant Info Centre

The Skilled Immigrant InfoCentre is an online and in-person resource center that provides essential information for newcomers seeking a career, finding a job or starting a business in Canada.

The resources are produced by the staff of the Vancouver Public Library, and all services are free.

The Skilled Immigrant InfoCentre site provides a detailed summary of the aptitudes, skills, and qualifications required for each job, and provides the information needed to get that job.

You are free to utilize the career you have developed in your home country or explore a new career in a new country.

This is an encouraging resource to help you find your way!

Career Crusing

Career Cruising provides information on career choices for students from sixth grade through adulthood.

Here content includes career matchmaker skills assessment tools, occupational profiles, and an extensive list of higher education programs (including financial aid information), plus thousands of job postings and tips on every step of the job search process are shared.

You can also create a My Plan account to track your progress, save relevant information, and create a resume.

Conclusion

I have provided a summary of library services in British Columbia, Canada.

I have been living in Canada for 10 years now, and when I received this information from the library staff because of my volunteer work, I felt like I was both benefiting and losing out. In the past I had no way of knowing about these services.

It is so fulfilling that I can’t believe that all of them are free, and I personally think that there is no way not to use them.

I hope this article will give more people the opportunity to learn more about library services.

There are many more free services offered by libraries in addition to those introduced here, so if you are interested, please check the website of your local library!