Montreal libraries have long been custodians of the written word, but many are shelving conventionality and expanding their collections to feature more unusual items. You can check out musical instruments, video games, and even outdoor recreational equipment.
You have options: either cozy up with your new book or trade fictional realms for the real deal and explore Quebec's national parks. Or, if culture's calling, you can enjoy a complimentary visit (or seven) to a Montreal museum.
Here are some unexpected things you'll find at Montreal libraries:
Museum Passes
An Écomusée mosaic depicting a woman with a raised fist reflects women activists' diversity over five decades.
André Querry, @ecomusee.dufiermonde | Instagram
As of March 1, Montrealers can flash their library card to snag a free pass to seven of the city's most eclectic museums, including the McCord Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC), MEM - Centre des mémoires montréalaises, Musée des métiers d’art du Québec (MUMAQ), Musée des Hospitalières, Écomusée, and the Emile Berliner Museum.
Securing a pass is a breeze – you just have to reserve online or pick up at your local library. The passes are valid for three weeks and grant unlimited museum access while checked out. The passes can be renewed three times, giving you ample time to explore.
Telescopes
Some of the telescopes available from Montreal libraries.
City of Montreal
Montreal's Marie-Uguay and Saint-Henri libraries are encouraging patrons to reach for the stars – literally. Breaking the bounds of traditional library offerings, these establishments are becoming gateways to galaxies, lending out six telescopes alongside your favourite novels.
The libraries are loaning Orion's StarBlast 4.5 telescopes, complete with a celestial starter kit: an instruction manual, a planisphere, an introductory astronomy book, and a lunar map. Time to swap your usual page-turners for some stargazing.
Video Games
A video game room at the Bibliothèque Maisonneuve.
Montreal's biggest library, the Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec (BAnQ), is known for its expansive collection, but it doesn't play by the usual library rules. Alongside dog-eared novels and beloved classics, you can find over 1,000 video games.
From recent releases for Switch, Xbox One and PS5 to the golden oldies of Wii and Xbox 360, the library offers a unique blend of past and present gaming culture. They even highlight which games are for two players or more. Just like any other library item, games can be borrowed for a three-week term and renewed twice, as long as no one else is on a quest for the same title.
Meanwhile, the brand-new Bibliothèque Maisonneuve in Hochelaga, which opened on June 10, has a whole room dedicated to playing video games with several consoles, comfy chairs and its own growing collection to explore.
Board Games
Game boards and pieces.
In a strategic move that gives board game bars a run for their money, Montreal's BAnQ has an impressive collection of over 200 boxed games in its repertoire. The Grande Bibliothèque now allows library cardholders to borrow up to three board games at a time, free of charge.
The BAnQ's game library, housed on the first floor, invites players into worlds of trivia, adventure, strategy, and cooperation, offering a chance to try out new releases without the gamble of purchase. The collection also opens up endless possibilities for date nights, friend gatherings, or simply a novel way to pass the time.
Vinyl Records
Vinyl records in the window of the music pavilion.
The BAnQ has a full pavilion dedicated to music enthusiasts. On the library's top floor, musicians can find an assortment of instruments to play, while vinyl lovers can explore an impressive collection of over 10,000 records.
The space also showcases antique music players and unique records alongside digital tools for modern creators. Visitors can digitize analog audio formats and utilize composition software like MuseScore. To ease the digital transition, BAnQ has classes to teach the tool.
What's more, the library encourages amateur musicians to engage in their passion. With a library card, you can borrow and play electric pianos or guitars on-site. For those looking to create or refine recordings, dedicated music rooms are available. You'll just need to wear headphones because library shushing is still in full effect.
Musical Instruments
A selection of guitars and a piano.
Nineteen libraries across the city offer musical instruments that you can check out like you would a book. The repertoire ranges from classics like violins, guitars, and keyboards to more niche instruments like ukuleles, mandolins, balalaikas, and a variety of percussion instruments, including drums and xylophones.
Each library lends instruments from its own collection (you can check a location's selection of instruments here). If you're after a specific instrument, you'll probably need to reserve it by phone and make a personal visit to collect and return it. Only a single instrument can be borrowed per library card, with cardholders needing to be at least 14 years old.
Loans last three weeks and can be renewed up to three times unless another eager musician is waiting. Reservations can be made by phone or directly at a library counter.
National Park Passes
Two hikers look out at Jacques Cartier National Park.
Montreal's BAnQ and the Société des établissements de plein air du Québec (Sépaq) have joined forces to let library members "check out" Mother Nature herself.
Fifty daily access passes to eleven Sépaq national parks are up for grabs for library card holders — thirty-five passes from the BAnQ for seven parks around Montreal and fifteen passes from the National Archives in Quebec to four captivating provincial parks.
You just have to search "Borrow a national park" in the BAnQ catalogue and reserve your pass online. Once it becomes available, BAnQ will give you a heads-up. Each pass is good for three weeks of outdoor exploration and covers two adults. Those under 17 gain free entry as long as they're accompanied by an adult. In this new chapter of BAnQ services, the great outdoors is just a library card away.
Outdoor Equipment
A father pulls his son on a sled in the snow.
Four city libraries — Bibliothèque Mordecai-Richler, Bibliothèque Saul-Bellow, Bibliothèque Marie-Uguay, and Bibliothèque de Rosemont — have added a touch of outdoor vigour to their offerings.
Mainly geared toward winter rentals, snowshoes, sleds, walking sticks, and ice cleats are all in the mix. You can check out items for seven days at a time. When the season calls for it, just use the Nelligan catalogue to make sure the gear you want is available.
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