Gabriola Island Library

Library service existed in two modes before 1999: one bookmobile parked at the south end of the island and open a few hours each week, and the Books by Mail service, which was very popular with Gabriola residents.

In 1999, VIRL opened a “real” branch on Gabriola Island, in the Gabriola Folklife Village where most of the commercial activity takes place. The library moved in where a dentist clinic previously existed, and had to adapt to a somewhat strange space configuration. A few years later, the library expanded slightly by taking over a portion of the adjacent clothing store.  In 2012, the branch expanded once again, this time getting a complete makeover in the process.

Gabriola has a very high readership per capita, and is similar to some of the other island library communities in that sense. The demand for new materials is fierce and requests for programs and events are steady. A frequent comment from new residents moving to the island from large cities across Canada is, “I thought I’d really miss my big library but your little library has the best service I’ve ever seen”. As most of us suspect, it’s the service that really counts in a library.