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Home / Branches and hours / Central Branch

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Central Branch

Our largest branch is located in the heart of downtown Victoria.

735 Broughton Street, Victoria, B.C. V8W 3H2

Branch hours

Branch hours
Monday Mon 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Tuesday Tue 10:00 am to 7:00 pm
Wednesday Wed 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Thursday Thu 10:00 am to 7:00 pm
Friday Fri 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Saturday Sat 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sunday Sun Closed
bookstacks in the library are seen

Special features

  • 24-hour library materials return 
  • Children’s area
  • Bookable study rooms (4)
  • Bookable study pods (5)
  • Free menstrual products
  • Heritage Room
  • Emerging Local Authors Collection

Location information

Branch accessibility

All GVPL branches, including ours, have wheelchair-accessible entrances, washrooms, and computers. The Central Branch has an elevator to access the second floor. We welcome service animals.

Accessibility at GVPL
Getting here by transit

We’re in a transit-friendly location near the downtown bus terminal.

Bike and car parking

Park your bike at any of our bike racks outside the entrance or on the street.

Drivers can get one hour of free parking at designated spots at the Broughton Street Parkade, with a regular rate of $2.50/hour after. We also have metered street parking.

What’s at Central Branch

Discover your next favourite read here! Central Branch is home to the Emerging Local Authors Collection and our largest collection of physical books. Families love our children’s section, packed with books and toys, including our TechPlay toys. With two floors of collections and cozy corners, there’s plenty of space to relax with a book or work with others.

Interior shot of the library. A great hall, books and a staircase are seen.

Library services

Use a public computer

We have public computers for everyone to use, free of charge. Book one for up to an hour, or hop onto any open computer until the next reservation begins. We also have Express computers available in 15-minute time slots for quick tasks.

Drop in and use any available computer.

Book a study room or pod

Study rooms and pods offer a private place to meet, work, and collaborate for up to two hours at a time.

Book in-person at our front desk.

Go online

Enjoy fast, free Wi-Fi throughout the library on your own devices. If you need help getting online, just ask us for help.

Just ask at our front desk.

Print and photocopy

You can print from any library computer. In a hurry? Book a computer ahead of time for quicker printing. Black-and-white and colour printing and photocopying are available at all GVPL branches. Just keep an eye on the time as computers automatically shut down 15 minutes before closing.

Drop in and use any available computer.

Pick up a hold

Place a hold on any book or item in our online catalogue and pick it up at the branch most convenient for you. Every branch has a Holds section for reserved books, often located right near the entrance.

Borrow a book

Newcomer supports

We help newcomers navigate life in Canada. You don’t need to be eligible for federal settlement services to get help. Join a conversation class, ask questions, or get free information and support for newcomers.

Find services for newcomers

Help with job searches

Stuck on the job hunt? We can help! Get directions on the right places to look for jobs and help finding reliable resources on writing resumes.

Just ask at our front desk.

Help with research

While we can’t write your essay for you, we can help you find great sources for your research. Let us help guide you to reliable and specialized information on any topic. We can show you how to find what you need in academic journal databases, historical archives, and trusted websites.

Just ask at our front desk.

programs AND Events
  • Baby sitting on floor turning the pages of a book with the help of the arms of a caregiver.

    Baby Time with Stay & Play

    Fun-filled songs, rhymes, and fingerplays to use with your baby every day, followed by 30 minutes of social time and free play. Drop-in; space is limited.

    Summer Session (July 7 – August 14)

  • children in a library at storytime

    Family Storytime with Stay & Play 

    Enjoy fun-filled stories, songs, rhymes, and puppets, followed by 30 minutes of social time and free play

    Summer Session (July 7 – August 15)

  • a woman wearing a jacket and toque works on a tablet near a window

    ID Clinic

    ID clinics help people obtain or replace essential identification, including birth certificates, BCID cards, and BC Services Cards.

    Fourth Wednesday of each month

  • Someone pours peas out of seed packet into open hands

    Seed Library

    Patrons can borrow seeds for vegetables, herbs, and flowers through the self‑serve Seed Library located at the Central Branch.

    Ongoing

See what’s happening
Bookshelf at the library with signage that says "Emerging Local AUTHORS" on it. Several books are on display.

Emerging Local Authors Collection

Find your next read by local and independent authors. Every year, we add more titles to this collection, and you can browse the latest ones on the main floor.

Find local books

Heritage Room

A special room with an extensive collection of books and resources on the history and geography of Vancouver Island.

a group of young people sit around a table, holding pens, smiling and talking. A variety of notebooks and laptops are on the table, and a pair of glasses is placed on top of one of the notebooks.

French and world languages

Browse our French and world languages collections. At this branch, we also have books and media in Arabic, Chinese, Filipino, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Punjabi, Russian, Spanish, and Ukrainian.

Browse by language

Library TechPlay toys

TechPlay educational toys introduce children to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) through fun, hands-on learning experiences. Whether designing a new circuit or coding a game, TechPlay empowers children to become active creators in the digital world, preparing them for the future.


Find these in our children’s area.

Play bus cutout structure in childrens department of central branch.

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs and the Friends of the Greater Victoria Public Library for supporting the enhancement of our children’s spaces. 

Fastfacts

Your library never closes online. Borrow audiobooks and ebooks anytime, day or night.

Borrow from our digital collections