VIU Library has a limited number of reservable rooms and workstations. These include:

• Student study rooms (no employee bookings permitted)
  • Nanaimo study rooms page
  • Cowichan study rooms page
• Video editing rooms
• Media workstations
• Accessibility stations

Students and employees can book spaces up to one week in advance from the individual pages linked in the list above, or from this page.

The Madrona Room and Family Space are not reserveable through this booking system. Visit each room's specific page to learn more about these spaces.

Steps to book a space

1. From the library home page, scroll down and click anywhere on the "book a space" banner to access the booking page for all spaces.
2. Use the drop-down menu labelled "Location" to select a campus, or scroll down to see all spaces.
3. The default view shows the space availability for the current date and time. Use the "Go To Date" button to view a space's availability up to one week in the future.
4. The availability grid show which spaces are available at which times. Click on a green/available square to select a start time for your booking.
5. Your booking will appear below the grid. Bookings default to the maximum time available (up to 3 hours or until the next booking). Use the drop-down menu to change the end time of your booking, or click the trash can to delete the booking and select a different start time.
6. Check to make sure the booking date and times are correct.
7. Click the “Submit Times” button.
8. Read the Terms & Conditions. To continue, click the "Agree & Continue" button.
9. Fill in the form. Make sure to use the email address on file with VIU.
10. Click the "Submit Booking Request" button.
11. Your booking is pending. To confirm the booking, check your email and follow the instructions in the verification email within 30 minutes. If you do not confirm your booking within this time frame, it is cancelled by the system. Add the email address alerts@mail.libcal.com to your safe senders list to ensure you receive verification emails.
12. In the verification email, click the indicated link and then click the “Verify Email” button on the webpage that opens.
13. Once verified, you will receive another email confirming your space booking. If you do not receive this email, your space may not be reserved. Contact the Library to troubleshoot any issues.
14. If you need to cancel your room booking, use the link provided in the confirmation email.

Below are a series of screenshots showing each of these steps. Use the arrows on the sides to navigate.

Space booking policies

Each category of space is available to book for up to 3 hours per day, per person. Bookings open one week in advance at midnight. Please submit your booking using the email on file with VIU.

Make sure to confirm your booking by following the instructions in the verification email within 30 minutes of submitting the booking. If you do not confirm your booking within this time frame, it is cancelled by the system.

Most spaces are available to book during the Library Commons open hours, with the exception of the video editing rooms and Spruce study room, which are open during the Library Service Desk open hours. View all Library hours here.

Please note: Spaces that are not occupied within the first 10 minutes of a scheduled booking are considered a "no-show" and the space becomes available for others to use.

Student study room policies

Student study rooms are available for student use only, as individuals or with a group. Most study rooms accommodate up to 6 people. Use the "Info" button located to the left of the space name in the booking tool to view a photo of the room and see more information about its capacity, features, and location.

Whiteboard markers and erasers are available for loan from the Library Service Desk.