The Vancouver Public Library celebrated its 30th birthday at the end of May.
Given its stature in Vancouver and the use of libraries across the city, it seems like a good time to dig up some more fun facts about the building and the system.
Aside from the resume clinics, book events, and film screenings, there's a lot going on at Vancouver's libraries these days, and a few interesting historical moments.
1. The 6th Day destroyed it
Just a few years after it was finished, the Arnold Schwarzenegger action flick The 6th Day destroyed the library.
Not literally, of course.
In the film, which is very much a Vancouver film, with plenty of shots that make the city readily identifiable, the downtown library building plays the role of the headquarters for a science lab and cloning facility.
In the end, it's destroyed as Schwarzenegger escapes the fireball.
2. There's a very visible time capsule
Most time capsules are buried in some manner, and to be fair, this one is under the floor.
But it's also very visible.
If you go into the main branch and look up to the second floor, the area under the floor is visible, and in one of the visible sections sits a locked and chained chest.
It may look like the place where Dracula might be stowed away, but it's actually a time capsule from 2010. It's due to be opened in 2040. At the time of publishing, we're at the halfway mark between those dates.
3. It was ranked the best in the world
Rankings of best library systems don't happen too often, but in 2013 Vancouver topped a study by a German university of the best in the world.
It's not just based on books, but also events, resources, and more.
A few years later, the United Kingdom's Guardian newspaper published a piece about how Canadian library systems are leading the world, while other countries see their systems pared back.
4. The August 1988 flood and freeze-drying books
The Vancouver Public Library's main branch, before the current location, was at 750 Burrard St.; it's now an Adidas store (previously it was a Victoria's Secret and a massive record store under different brands).
In that location, in August of 1988, a water main burst, and hundreds of rare books and old newspapers were soaked.
200,000 of them.
The items that were soaked the worst ended up being stacked into milk crates and sent to a facility that freeze-dried them. While much was saved, hundreds of rare books and periodicals were lost.
The incident helped lead to the new main branch.
5. They have a zine collection you can borrow
Magazines are usually an easily catalogued periodical, but the world of zines is much more creative and less organized, but the library has done its best.
The collection of independent, often handmade little pieces is held at the main branch, as well as the Carnegie and Mount Pleasant locations.
