Yosef Wosk Library & Resource Centre

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.

Library Open hours:

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

Stay tuned for information on upcoming Speaker Series presentations.

Read about Rae Warner and her contributions to VanDusen here!

Upcoming Exhibition:

Mei
A solo art exhibition by Lam Wong

May 5 – August 30
Admission: FREE

Artist Bio: Lam Wong has been based in Vancouver since 1998. He has recently exhibited his work and performed at Campbell River Art Gallery, Canton-sardine, Centre A, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden, Griffin Art Projects, Unit 17, Western Front and Vancouver Art Gallery. His latest curatorial projects include CHAWAN (Teabowl) and Jeff Wall: Views in and out of Vancouver at Canton-sardine.

Mei is the latest solo project by Vancouver-based artist Lam Wong. This small intimate exhibition is dedicated to his wife Mei, who has an unwavering love for gardening, reading books, lacemaking and cats. The artworks featured in the show include paintings, photographs and drawings.

Lam Wong is a visual artist and curator who immigrated from Hong Kong to Canada during the 1980s and studied design, art history and painting in Alberta and British Columbia. Wong works with painting, installation and performance to engage with themes such as the perception of reality, the role of art and the relationship between time, memory and space. He sees artmaking as an ongoing spiritual practice and his work draws upon his knowledge of Western art history and his interest in Taoism and Buddhism. Wong’s creative approach is often concerned with blending Eastern philosophies and challenging the notion of painting.

For more information, see: www.lamwong.com

See these artworks at Roberta Mickelson Gallery in the Yosef Wosk Library (in the VanDusen Visitor Centre) 10.00am -3.00pm Monday – Wednesday and Saturdays 11.am – 2.00pm from May 5 – August 30.

Admission: Free

Join our friendly group on the fourth Thursday of February, April, June, September and November from 1:00pm – 2:00pm.

On June 22nd the VanDusen Book Club will meet again in person for the first time since January 2020! To register, click here.

When you arrive at the Visitor Centre, look for signage directing you to the Classroom Courtyard or the Volunteer Lounge (location is weather-dependent).
We will try out a hybrid format for the rest of 2023 before making a final decision on how we will proceed in the future. Our meetings focus on an eclectic variety of topics related to plants and the natural world.

We purposely choose general topics to allow members to find materials that interest them and so that there is less demand on a limited number of copies of a particular book. Members are asked to read one, or as many of the suggested books as they like.
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.

Download the 2023 reading list here.

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

Date: June 28th, 10.00am – 10.45am

June’s theme is: A Garden of Colour and Summertime Blooms 
This month we come together to share and celebrate the colourful beauty and abundance of nature with stories, songs, and a garden project.

Register now!

See more Family Programing here!

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).