Nation's libraries celebrate local Bookmobiles

As National Library Week comes to a close, I thought it would be good to highlight an unsung hero — the bookmobile. Last Wednesday was National Bookmobile Day, an observance to celebrate Bookmobile staff all over the country who provide a valuable service to their communities. The following is from an American Library Association article on the interesting history of the bookmobile in America.

“The first bookmobile service in the U.S. is widely acknowledged to have started in 1905 by Mary Lemist Titcomb in Washington County, Md. Titcomb, the first librarian of the Washington County Free Library, saw the need to expand library services from the main location in Hagerstown to homes across the largely rural county. Initially, the service saw materials distributed to general stores, post offices and other locations throughout the county via the library’s wagon — initially 66 locations.

Unsatisfied by this, Titcomb sought to create what she referred to as a “Library Wagon” and began consulting with wagon makers to design a purpose-built horse-drawn wagon. Staffed by a librarian and a driver, the new Library Wagon began its service visiting farms and homes across the county. In 1912, the county acquired its first motorized bookmobile, and the service over time has been expanded from rural service to stops at senior citizen centers, schools and other locations, and continues to present day.”

Our local Bookmobile visits five Bonner County communities each week, plus the Farmer’s Market when it is open. It is a kind of miniature library that contains a sampling of virtually all of the materials available at our branch locations. Patrons can apply for a library card, check out materials, return materials and find answers to their questions from library staff at the Book-mobile. Many people are surprised to learn that they can place holds online and pick them up at their neighborhood Bookmobile location. They can also use the Bookmobile to return items that have been checked out from one of our branch locations.

Celebrate National Library Week with us today at the Sandpoint Branch Library from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a tour of our Bookmobile. You can pick up a schedule of the weekly Bookmobile stops in the outlying areas of Bonner County, explore the contents of the Bookmobile and even check out and return materials there.

The following classes, workshops and events will take place at the Sandpoint Branch, 1407 Cedar, unless otherwise indicated.

n Friday, April 15 — Clark Fork Story Time, 10:30 a.m.; East Bonner County Library Clark Fork branch. Reading, games, snacks and more.

n Friday, April 15 — Tour the Bookmobile, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Find out when the Bookmobile comes to your neighborhood and tour the library-on-wheels at the Sandpoint branch in observance of National Bookmobile Day, held earlier this week.

n Saturday, April 16 — Computer class on library’s online educational resources, 8:15 a.m. sharp. Preregistration required; call 263-6930.

n Saturday, April 16 — 39 Years of Bloomsday, 1 p.m. Join Bloomsday “perennial” Gary Berg as he shares his experiences running in every Bloomsday since 1977. Bring your memorabilia and stories to share! Preregistration required. Call 263-6930.

n Saturday, April 16 — Fly Tying Group. Fly tying enthusiasts of varying levels of expertise meet at 1 p.m. Please bring your own supplies. Meets every first and third Saturday.

n Monday, April 18 — Teen Make It at The Library, 3 p.m.

n Monday, April 18 — Program on free money for your child’s college education, 6 p.m. April is Financial Literacy Month. Find out how you can earn tuition for up to two years for your 0- to 16-y-ear-old child or grandchild with financial planner Paul Krames. A free Money Smart Week workshop.

n Tuesday, April 19 — Mother Goose, 10:15 a.m. A story/singing program for children ages 0 to 3 and their caregivers.

n Tuesday, April 19 — Preschool Storytime, 11 a.m.; for children ages 2 to 5 and their caregivers.

n Tuesday, April 19 — Make It at The Library, 3 pm.

n Tuesday, April 19 — Robotics with Lego Mindstorm, 3 p.m., at the Clark Fork branch, East Bonner County Library District. For more information contact the Clark Fork branch library at 266-1321.

n Wednesday, April 20 — Lego Club, 2 p.m. Creating with Legos is the E & the A in S.T.E.A.M. Education (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math)… and open Lego play is just plain fun. Club is for ages 3-12 and parents welcome.

n Wednesday, April 20 — Make It at The Library. East Bonner County Library Clark Fork Branch, 601 Main St. Kids make a variety of age appropriate crafts from 2-3:30 p.m.

n Wednesday, April 20 — Kite-making fun, 3:30 p.m. Make your own kite to take home — for free!

n Thursday, April 21 — Homeschool Rocks! — Rocks & Minerals with Zero Point, 9 a.m. Discover beautiful rocks and minerals with Kathy Friedmann of Zero Point Crystals & Gifts.

n Thursday, April 21 — Meet a Search & Rescue dog; 3:30 p.m. Diana and Jim Carlson will introduce you to their search and resuce dog and demonstrate how their dog finds missing persons.

n Friday, April 22 — Clark Fork Story Time, 10:30 a.m., East Bonner County Library Clark Fork branch. Reading, games, snacks and more.

n Friday, April 22 — Earth Day StoryWalk. Four special Earth Day StoryWalk locations and stories.

n Saturday, April 23 — Computer class on Microsoft Word basics, 8:15 a.m. sharp. Preregistration required; call 263-6930.