Yosef Wosk Library & Resource Centre

Please note: the Library is closed on Sundays and on December 25th.

March 20, 2025: 6.30pm – 8.00pm – Online

Topic: Birds in a Unique Light

Presenter: Liron Gertsman

• To attend this presentation in person click here.
• To attend this presentation online click here.

About the presentation:

Join multiple award-winning professional wildlife photographer Liron Gertsman as he shares stories and images from his favourite moments photographing birds. The presentation will include a mix of visual storytelling, science, and discussions about the creative process that Liron uses to create unique and eye-catching photos of birds.

You may have seen him on CBC’s “The National”, heard his voice on CBC Radio One, or seen his work in publications such Canadian Geographic magazine, Audubon Magazine, The Guardian, and GEO magazine.

About the speaker:

Liron has a biology degree from the University of British Columbia, which he uses to enhance his passion for art and visual storytelling, providing a scientific background to inform his understanding of the natural world.

As a naturalist and photographer, Liron feels it is his duty to show people the essence of Earth, by thinking outside the box to create eye-catching images and unique experiences that connect people with nature.

• To attend this presentation in person click here.
• To attend this presentation online click here.

Download the 2025 reading list here.

Join us on the second Monday of the month in February, April, June, September and November from 1-2 pm.

We choose general topics along the lines of gardening, nature and ecology and encourage participants to find related materials of personal interest. Some months we offer a few book suggestions around a theme, and other months we suggest one more widely-available title. 

To prepare for Book Club meetings, check out the Yosef Wosk Library and Resource Centre at the VanDusen Garden Visitor Center, your local library and bookstore for books, ebooks and audiobooks. You are also welcome to conduct your own research online. 

3 to 5 year olds and their families are invited to join us for Preschool Storytime in the Library!

To register for Preschool Storytime and to view more Family Programs, click here!

Once Upon a Time in a Garden

January 8 – April 28, 2025

Admission: FREE

While Winnipeg-born artist Caroline Ashley is inspired by the great impressionists such as Claude Monet, her portfolio immediately reveals a distinct and passionate admiration for the work of American master, Georgia O’Keefe. Many of Caroline’s close-up flower studies strongly emulate O’Keefe’s revolutionary style. Caroline, who now lives in Vancouver, is a Fine Arts graduate of the University of Manitoba.

Her art remains firmly rooted in nature, and the created environments of landscaped gardens around us. Her use of acrylic media is ideally suited to such work, allowing for a distinct visual vibrancy and stunningly crisp clarity.

Caroline’s work makes no dramatic statements, no attempt to convince; there is no rhetoric, merely beauty. With a deep love for that which she captures in paint, this artist paints for all of us.

All paintings are for sale.

See these artworks at the Roberta Mickelson Gallery in the Yosef Wosk Library & Resource Centre

Monday – Friday 10:00am -2:00pm
Saturday 11:00am – 2:00pm

Founded in 1976, and relocated to the new Visitor Centre in 2011, the Yosef Wosk Library and Resource Centre is the largest public access botanical and horticultural library in western Canada.

The library’s collection focuses on gardening in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest, and covers a wide range of topics including gardening techniques, selecting and growing ornamental plants, native floras from around the world, vegetable and herb gardening, pruning and training, North American ethnobotany, butterfly gardening, native plant gardening, flower arrangement, plant hunters, garden history, pests and diseases, garden design, gardens to visit, horticulture in urban environments, botany and plant ecology, plant conservation, literature in the garden, garden art, organic gardening, environmental science and much more.

The Yosef Wosk Library and Resource Centre’s research collection complements the living resources of VanDusen Botanical Garden. In addition to our collection, you can enjoy regular community events hosted at the library.

If you would like to connect with us before your visit please contact: library@vandusen.org

Are you open to the general public?
Yes! Anyone can use our library although only VanDusen Botanical Garden Association (VBGA) members are able to borrow books.

As a Vancouver Botanical Gardens Association (VBGA) member, can I check out materials?
VBGA members can borrow 3 books for 3 weeks at a time from our lending collection (all books with a green or orange label on their spines). Your VBGA membership card functions as your library card. Circulating items may be renewed once by e-mail or phone if they are not already overdue, and if no hold has been placed on them. All other materials are for library use only.

Do you answer questions over the telephone? By email?
Both! Contact us through library@vandusen.org or at 604-257-8668. The library staff and volunteers will be happy to let you know what information we have in the library on your topic and give answers and referrals whenever possible.

Are you part of the Vancouver Public Library system?
No, we are not.

Do you accept donations of books and magazines?
The Yosef Wosk Library & Resource Centre accepts donations of books. All donated material is reviewed according to the selection criteria applied to purchased material. If your donation is not needed for the library collection, it will be sold in a used book sale with the proceeds going to the library’s book acquisition budget. However, due to limited storage space, we may not be able to accept larger donations and out-of-date material.

Can I donate a book in memory of someone?
Yes. All gift books that are accepted into our collection will be processed with a memorial bookplate, if desired. You may contact us at 604-257-8668 for more information.

My plant is sick. If I bring it into the library, can you tell me what’s wrong?
We recommend you contact the Vancouver Master Gardeners Association of BC (Vancouver chapter) here. However, the library staff will help you find and use books from our reference collection on pests and diseases.

Can I make a cash donation to the Library?
If you wish to direct a financial donation to support the Library, to enhance the collection or donate to our Adopt-a-Shelf program please contact fundraising@vandusen.org or call 604-257-8677.

Do I need to wear a mask in the library?
Masks are no longer mandatory in all indoor public spaces in alignment with updates to the public health orders issued by the Provincial government. You are welcome to keep wearing masks, depending on your level of comfort.

Contact Information:
Marina Princz: Librarian
Tel. 604-257-8668
Email: library@vandusen.org
Yosef Wosk Library and Resource Centre
5151 Oak Street
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6M 4H1

We are a member of the Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries (www.cbhl.net).