Downloading movies and books on the go is easy with your Greater Victoria Public Library card and the right app for your mobile device. As long as there’s Wi-Fi, you can access thousands of ebooks, music, movies and e-audiobooks, and you won’t need to worry about late fees – GVPL’s digital resources are returned automatically.
Imagine yourself in Italy. After an exhilarating day of climbing the Spanish Steps, visiting shops by Pantheon and circling the Colosseum, free Wi-Fi advertised in the window of a gelato shop is as welcome a sight as the Trevi Fountain, waiting just around the corner. While enjoying the decadence of Italian gelato, you open the Hoopla app on your phone and download the Secrets of Florence documentary. You’ll watch it tomorrow on the train into Tuscany to help you plan which masterpieces to visit first. It’s that easy!
Below are a few ways GVPL can enhance your globetrotting, from downloading travel guides to brushing up on your Bulgarian. For more information, visit gvpl.ca or ask a staff member at one of our three West Shore branches: Juan de Fuca at 1759 Island Hwy., Goudy at 119-755 Goldstream Ave. and Langford Heritage at 102-1314 Lakepoint Way.
Ebooks, e-audiobooks and movies online
Thanks to GVPL’s streaming services like Hoopla, CloudLibrary and Overdrive, you have your pick of books, music and movies to stream and download onto your mobile devices. Install the free apps, then use your library card to log in and access items anytime, anywhere.
Travel guides are more cost-effective at library
Travel guides can be pricey, and information gets out of date within a few years. Your public library stocks a plethora of new travel guides in print and digital formats. Use the print version to plan your trip, and take the digital version with you on holidays.
Brush up on more than 70 different languages
Mango Languages is an online language-learning platform and is free to access with your GVPL library card.
Take quizzes to assess your level; work through lessons with video and audio clips; and expand your vocabulary. You can access Mango from anywhere in the world with a Wi-Fi connection and your library card. Plus: GVPL carries pocket translation guides thast you can pack for those times when you’re off the grid.
Attend free, on-a-budget travel programs at GVPL
Attend GVPL’s free program on Budget-Friendly Canadian Travel. Steve Zussino, author of Travel Hacking for Canadians, will share tips for travelling, review rewards programs and show you how to book hotels for less. The program will be held Feb. 3, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Nellie McClung Branch. Register at gvpl.ca.
Happy Travels!
– By Margie Thompson