Vipa Books — Hand-picked books for school libraries, since 1989

Our story

A bookshop where the people are the point.

Every week we choose, pack and deliver the books that fill Victorian school libraries. Between us there are careers spent in classrooms, school offices and libraries — choosing books children will love is second nature to us.

Vipa Books has supplied school libraries since 1989, and for many years was part of the Austhos not-for-profit group of businesses, whose surpluses supported Australian public hospitals. Today the giving happens in the daily work itself.

Supporting Vipa Books supports a community built over a long history — the workers, supporters and volunteers on the team, the local businesses and neighbours near our Montmorency office, the schools we visit, and all the people we've connected with along the way. Your orders are why it continues.

Teamwork. Vipa included.

Always within reach with Vipa.

For schools — How it works

Easy collection development for your library.

Tubs visit throughout the school year, and between visits we're your book supplier in every other way.

We deliver

A tub of hand-picked new releases arrives at your school.

Picture books, fiction, non-fiction, reference and beyond — chosen by people with real classroom and library experience.

You browse

Staff take their time with the books in hand. No catalogues, no guesswork.

You see exactly what your young readers are getting. Read one to your class, pass one around the staffroom — selection is sure with a book in hand.

We collect

We return for the rest and invoice your approved account on terms.

Collection day means another visit from our friendly team — the perfect moment to tell us what we can get for you. Your tub is tailored to your school.

A word from us, plainly — how the tub model works

Tubs take real work: choosing the books, packing them, driving them out and bringing them back. We love every bit of it — it's the work our team exists to do.

The book market has changed, and we've moved with it — our pricing aims to stay in line with competitors and the big online stores (you know the one). Each tub's journey earns enough to keep the lights on and the van fuelled, and little more. We run it anyway, gladly: the work matters more than the margin.

So we ask two small things: accept a tub when you have budget ready, and consider our minimum order — it's what makes each visit worthwhile for everyone.

And if nothing in the tub wins you over? You keep nothing and owe nothing. We have valued service over sales since 1989.