You already know your library card can help you find your next great read. But how about streaming a movie? Learning a language? Borrowing an air quality monitor? Taking an online course? Recording a podcast? Trying a 3D printer?
Your free Okanagan Regional Library membership opens the door to a lot more than books. From a Digital Collection you can access anywhere to hands-on technology, practical equipment, free programs, and more than 40 Online Resources, there are plenty of ways to put your ORL library card to work.
Here are a few great places to start.
Read, Watch & Listen Anywhere
Your library doesn’t close when you leave the branch. With an ORL library card, you can access ebooks, e-audiobooks, e-magazines, movies, music, and more from home or on the go.
Libby offers ebooks, e-audiobooks, and thousands of e-magazines. The Palace Project gives you another way to discover ebooks and e-audiobooks, while Kanopy offers streaming movies, documentaries, educational programming, and a dedicated Kanopy Kids collection.
Music fan? Explore Naxos Music Library for streaming music, or search the ORL catalogue for CDs you can borrow and take home.
Explore 40+ Online Resources
There’s an entire collection of resources you’ll never find sitting on a library shelf. Your ORL library card provides free access to more than 40 Online Resources covering everything from learning and research to investing, genealogy, languages, newspapers, and professional development.
Many Online Resources are available from home, 24 hours a day. All you need is your ORL library card.
Borrow Something You Didn’t Know Libraries Had
Books aren’t the only things you can take home from your local ORL branch. The Library of Things is a growing collection of practical equipment, technology, and hands-on learning resources available to borrow.
Curious about the air quality in your home? Borrow an air quality monitor. Interested in the wildlife around you? Try a birding or BatPack kit. Want to explore science and technology with the kids? Look for codable robots, STEAM resources, and other learning kits.
The idea is simple: instead of buying something you may only use occasionally, see if you can borrow it from the library first.
Make Something
Some things are better learned by doing. At participating ORL Makerspaces, you can explore creative technology and equipment that can be expensive or difficult to try on your own. Depending on the location, you might find 3D printers, Glowforge laser cutters, Cricut machines, sewing machines, heat presses, digitization equipment, audio and video recording equipment, and Creation Stations with specialized creative software.
Never used one before? That’s okay. Training, certification, workshops, and staff support can help you learn.
Learn Something Together
Every year, ORL branches offer thousands of free programs for children, teens, adults, and families.
That could mean Story Time with a preschooler, joining a book club, trying a STEAM activity, attending an author talk, learning a new technology, taking part in a workshop, or simply meeting people who share your interests. Check your local branch to see what’s happening near you.
Use a Computer, Find a Quiet Place to Work, or Take an Exam
Sometimes the thing you need from the library is simply a place to sit down and get something done.
ORL locations offer free Wi-Fi and public computers, along with printing and technology assistance. Many locations also offer meeting rooms, study spaces, and other areas for reading, working, learning, and connecting. Many branches also offer exam invigilation services. Whether you need internet access, a computer, a quiet place to study, or some help figuring out a new piece of technology, your local library is a good place to start.
A Single Card. A Whole Library System.
One of the biggest benefits of an ORL membership is easy to overlook: your library is much bigger than your local branch. The ORL is a regional library system. Materials move between communities, digital services are available across the region, and specialized collections, equipment, programs, and expertise can be shared across the system.
That means an ORL library card connects you not just to what happens to be on the shelf at your nearest branch, but to a much larger network of collections, resources, technology, and people. And yes, it still gets you books!
Not an ORL member yet? Get your free membership and start exploring what your library card can do.
Need More Help?
Call us at 1-844-649-8127 or email help@orl.bc.ca. Please include as many details as you can about your question, account, or device. This helps us support you more quickly and accurately.
Library card expired? Reach out to your local branch or visit eRenew to renew your membership online. It’s quick and easy.
