A chat with a frequent library attendee
Jordan Tomlinson (he/him) // Letters Editor
Rachel Lu (she/her) // Illustrator
Sounds of shuffling, scribbling and distant honks echo through the vast sixth floor of the Vancouver Central Library. Working students line the steep walls; heads down, focused on their studies. Simarleen Luthra sits among them, typing away hypnotically, only breaking for the occasional sigh and stretch.
“I was never a big fan of the library in high school.” The second-year student confesses; leaning back, shaking her pencil in hand. “But, this one in particular has really grown on me.” Attending UBC has been a blessing to her, she says, the all-encompassing campus has at least one of everything. Anything you could think of is just a short walk away. No reason to leave; great for first year but can get a little claustrophobic. Quickly jumping up, tugging at her shirt and throwing a braid over her shoulder, she retorts. “Of course, there’s no problem with that. I love my school. It’s just nice to have another space to come and…exist.” Nothing wrong with a change of scenery, she nods.
Vancouver boasts a whopping 21 different branches of its public library scattered across the city. They all hold a calming, quiet space with books, CDs, DVDs and computers all for public use. Along with their large spaces filled with relatively comfortable seating; they have bookable study rooms and conference rooms, many even feature phone/device charging stations, free of charge (Ha). Its biggest location would have to be Central, where we sit today.
The towering 10-floor building is quite the sight to behold. “I choose to come here mostly for its views and the building itself.” Luthra praises the Roman Colosseum inspired building that engulfs the block, sitting tightly between Homer, Georgia, Robson and Hamilton St. respectfully. Highlighting its open concept and upstairs patio, “You just get room to breathe.” Smiling, her gaze moves up, admiring the many floors above. She describes herself as being “restless,” not an enjoyer of a cramped lifestyle.
Luthra’s eyebrows shoot up, bracelet jingling while she raises her arm; “I also just like the connection to downtown.” She explains the disconnect she felt from the real ‘city’ experience during her first year in university. “I never really had a reason to come all the way out here. It was really rare that I’d make the trip.” Hailing from Abbotsford, moving out was a big change for Luthra, she expected a high-paced city lifestyle and that was not exactly what she got. “It was definitely for the best, I needed time to get used to everything but now, I’m ready for anything.” Laughing and throwing out her arms, she proclaims.
When asked about the benefits for students, she stops to ponder. Sinking back in her chair, arms crossed, she goes to speak but quickly halts. “I don’t really know of any. I mean, books! Students need books?” She spins around in her chair, looking from wall to wall. “CDs. CDs too. They have that filming lab upstairs.” Luthra speaks on the library’s ‘Inspiration Lab’, half a floor which holds multiple recording booths, a green screen, computers packed with editing software and frequent workshops focused on digital art and content creation. “Other than that, I’m not really sure.” The VPL also holds various workshops within their ‘Skilled Immigrant InfoCenter’ which holds many events to help get newly-immigrated people to any resource they need to build a career here and helps them even build a business from the ground up. Of course, many of their programs/benefits are branch-specific, for example; the Joe Fortes Branch on Denman and Haro has the ‘Rainbow Collection’, a collection of various books that are made for the LGBTQ+ community, many downtown branches have their own community zine section, helping to connect Vancouverites and support local artists.
“I do think that’s something they could improve on. Advertising, because even if they have an event or something, there’s a good chance that I won’t hear about it.” Luthra explains that even her most ‘in touch’ friends have never brought up a Vancouver Public Library hosted event. “The people who know about every show, every screening and nothing.” Across its 21 locations, the VPL holds a wide variety of events ranging from movie nights (Kitsilano) to craft nights (Britannia) to book sales (Central), however information for them can only be found on the VPL website (vpl.ca)
“At the end of the day,” she hesitates, “I think it really is worth it to come and study here. You don’t even have to take out a book!” She exclaimed laughing, despite the hushed tone. The peace surrounding us in the silent floor remains. As the shuffling of shoes against carpet and pencil scratches fill our ears once again, we take a moment to take it all in. “Just come and sit for a minute, I’d really recommend it.”