As we look towards spring and summer, where time for leisure reading seems to make a comeback for busy students and faculty, the Department of Asian Studies encourages you to rethink the way you read your books. While purchasing (may we suggest second-hand) a physical copy provides that tactile reading feel, e-books have become an increasingly popular way to save both money and space without the repeated impact on the environment that comes from buying new books. While checking out books from the library are a great alternative to this, did you know that the Vancouver Public Library has its own e-book catalogues ready for you at any time? Here’s how to access them on any device.
VPL to Go
Accessing the VPL to Go catalogues through OverDrive is the main way to get access to thousands of popular e-books and audiobooks for all ages. The catalogues can be accessed through overdrive.com and instructions on how to download the books to your device can be found through this VPL guide.
The Vancouver Public Library also offers a separate catalogue for indie authors and self-published local authors. Their selection can be accessed at odilo.us and information on how to download these books to your device can be found on the bottom of this page.
How does it work?
After taking a browse through the catalogues, it’s time to check out! Checkout lengths range from 7-21 days and wait times for books can range anywhere from immediately available to 6 months. (Pro tip: we recommend keeping a list handy of all the books you’re interested in reading. Place a hold on those books with longer wait times to get in line and check out the books that are instantly available to pass the time in between.)
You don’t need an e-reader to read e-books!
While an e-reader, like Kindle or Kobo, is designed to give a comparable reading experience to that of a physical book, there are plenty of other platforms you can use to read e-books. The Libby App can both be used on a desktop and as an app to read your e-books checked out from the library. Even without a Kindle device, Amazon users can use the Kindle Cloud Reader website or download the Kindle app to read any e-book as well. All of these interfaces seamlessly sync across devices, so you can read on your e-reader before bed one night and pick right back up on the next page while waiting for the bus on your phone.
Other ways to read this summer
- If e-books aren’t your thing, the Vancouver Public Library has an even wider selection of physical books available for check out.
- The VPL also offers a ton of full-color e-magazines and audiobooks that can be downloaded for free!
- If you have a library account from another city, check out their online catalogues as well. Many libraries offer thousands of e-books through OverDrive and other platforms.
- If you’re the type of person who prefers to own their own copies of a book, second-hand is best! We recommend checking out Massy Books, a 100% Indigenous owned and operated bookstore located on the traditional, ancestral, unceded, and occupied territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sel̓íl̓witulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. They offer both new and used books.
Wondering where to start? We recommend Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer and The End of the Ocean by Maja Lunde as great introductions to eco-literature. Happy reading!
