Vernon
2800 - 30th Ave.
Vernon, B.C. V1T 8S3
(250) 542-7610
When the library is closed there is a book drop on 28th St, south of the library's front entrance. It is open 24 hours a day, except on Halloween night, and the Easter and Christmas closures.
Please find our events below on the branch calendar, or search the ORL Calendar of Events.
| Monday: | 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday: | 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. |
| Wednesday: | 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. |
| Thursday: | 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. |
| Friday: | 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. |
| Saturday: | 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. |
| Sunday: | 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Oct. to Mar. only |
| All branches closed on statutory holidays |
There is underground parking available at the branch during open hours, with elevator access into the library. The entrance ramp is located beside the south side of the building. The parking rate is 50 cents per hour, with a two hour maximum. There is also metered street parking available.
More downtown parking information is available here.
Plant a Seed: In your garden and in your mind
The ORL's Vernon branch is 1 year old!
Help Us Celebrate!
Saturday May 25th
Last May the Vernon branch opened the doors to a brand new building. Mark this historic milestone and celebrate spring at the same time! We are your community's entertainment and information source, as well as being a fantastic community space. Join us for the inaugural anniversary of the opening featuring a series of presentations about local food, permaculture, food writing and some delicious cooking demonstrations from local cookbook authors. All events are free and are drop-in
Schedule:
- 10:30-11:00am Special Children's Program - Food/Garden theme (Junior Department near the fireplace)
- 10:30-11:30am Adult Book Club - Discussion of Barbara Kingsolver's novel: Prodigal Summer (Upstairs Study Room)
- 10:30-11:30am "Composting & Water Harvesting" - Learning about Permaculture with Gord Hiebert (Meeting Room Downstairs)
- 12:00 Noon Cake/Toasts/Speeches to the new branch (Vernon Branch Foyer)
- 1:00-1:40 "Why Eat Local?"- with Kathryn Hettler, organic farmer & author of Real Food, Real Health: A Guide to Finding, Preparing & Enjoying Local Foods. Food Demo (Meeting Room Downstairs)
- 1:45 - 2:30 "Why Eat Local?" repeated.
- 2:45-4:00pm "Exploring Food Writing" with Judie Steeves, a columnist with the Kelowna Capital News, author of Jude's Kitchen, & co-author of Okanagan Trips & Trails. Food Demo (Meeting Room Downstairs)
Saturday Adult Book Club
Vernon Branch invites you to read the suggested titles and to join us for a lively, facilitated discussion of the featured title. The book club is open to all interested adults and preregistration is not required. Held the fourth Saturday of every month from 10:30 - 11:30 am in the library meeting room.
Upcoming titles for 2013 include:
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver (May 25)
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls (June 22)
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (July 27)
Maus I & Maus II by Art Spiegelman (August 24)
The Lizard Cage by Karen Connelly (September 28th)
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo (October 26)
The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King (November 23)
Please note: Many titles are also available in ebook and audiobook formats in the ORL catalogue.
Children's Storytimes
All children's programs are free. Events for preschool and kids ages 6-8 require a parent or guardian to stay and enjoy the program with them.
Preschool Storytime (January 7 - May 18)
- Mondays - 10:30 am with Judy
- Tuesdays - 10:30 am with Stephanie
- Wednesdays - 1:30 pm with Judy
- Thursdays - 10:30 am with Judy
- Saturdays - 10:30 am with Stephanie
(July 6-August 31)
This drop-in program is half an hour long and takes place in the area in front of the fireplace. All ages are welcome but stories are aimed at 3-5 year-olds.
PJ Storytime (February 6 - May 15 then will resume in October)
The first and third Wednesday of every month at 7:00 pm.
Come dressed for bedtime with your stuffies in tow and we'll sing our way to dreamland!
Toddlertime (ended April 24 and will resume in the Fall)
Wednesdays 11:00 - 11:30 am
This drop-in program is geared for children under the age of three and is held in the meeting room.
School Age Programs
Wednesday Wii @ the Library (January 23- May 15)
Drop in for some multi-player fun! We have a Wii, a huge screen & a variety of games including Mario Kart, Donkey Kong, Mario Party, & Just Dance Kids 2! There is also a selection of board games.
3:00 - 4:30 pm
This is a free, drop-in program for kids ages 8 & up.
Saturday Bookish Crafts @ Your Library (February 2 - May 18)
ages 6 & up
1:00 - 2:00 pm
Join Stephanie for some crafts in our meeting room, every Saturday afternoon.
This is a free, drop-in program. Ages 6 & up.
Summer Reading Club (June 28-Aug 31)
We will be hosting 4 events a week this summer. Events are for ages 6-8, 8-12 or 6-12. You can see our full schedule here. Registration is required for events and begins June 20.
Kids can pick up reading records starting June 20 and will be rewarded for their reading over the summer with stickers and a medal.
Contests will be posted soon.
See the blog for children's programs for details on recent and upcoming children's activities at the branch. http://vernonlibrarykids.wordpress.com/
Teens
For the first time at Vernon Branch there is a Teen Summer Reading Club.
Watch movies based on books, make intense crafts like zombifying a barbie, and win awesome prizes on trivia days. Plus there are weekly opportunities to win books starting in July. For a detailed listing of events and contests click here.
Basic eBook/eReader Training
Vernon branch library offers short sessions (for one or two people) on the basics of searching and downloading eBooks. Daytime, evening and weekend time slots are available. Register at the upstairs Information Desk, in person or by phone at 250-542-7610, ext. 3.
Vernon Friends of the Library
The Vernon Friends of the Library, a non-profit organization formed in 1989, is registered under the Society Act of British Columbia and the Canada Income Tax Act.
The major fundraiser is the huge book sale held in early May every year. Over the years, the Friends have provided funds for a variety of projects such as a puppet theatre, library outreach programs to Vernon elementary schools, book prizes, author visits and a digital microfilm reader/printer.
The next book sale is: May 2-5, 2013 at the Vernon Curling Rink
- May 2 (Thursday): 3-9pm
- May 3 (Friday): 9-9pm
- May 4 (Saturday): 9-4pm
- May 5 (Sunday): 11-3pm
The Friends also hold smaller book sales throughout the year, and provide book bags and t-shirts for purchase at the branch.
New members are always welcome, and anyone interested in more information can contact Linda Wills at 250-549-1466 or lwills41@telus.net
Meeting Rooms
The Vernon Branch has meeting rooms available for rent on open days.
The main meeting room has a capacity of 100 with a theatre style set-up, and can be divided into two smaller rooms, each with a capacity of 50.
Rental fees are $50.00 for a 3-hour block for each of the smaller rooms and $85.00 for the whole room. There is a fee of $10.00 for each additional hour for both room sizes. Bookings are not confirmed until the rental fee has been paid.
There is also a small group study room on the second floor of the library which holds about 8-10 people. There is no charge for its use, but bookings are only taken up to one day in advance.
For further information, please contact the branch at 250-542-7610.