When people spot the cargo bike with the big, blue box up front, they immediately think food.
“People ask us, ‘Do you have paletas? Do you have ice cream?’” says Karen Greene, the driving force behind the three-wheeled, non-motorized bike.
No and no.
But there is something inside that’ll feed the mind — books.
Lots of ‘em.
Pima County Library’s Bookbike celebrates five years of rolling through Tucson, giving away donated books. It has a regular, rotating schedule of stops and makes special appearances at big, local events like Beyond and the Tucson Festival of Books.
Its anniversary is shared with another innovative program, the Seed Library, which allows library-card holders to “check out” seeds, grow plants and then donate seeds back to keep local gardens growing.
Both programs are having an anniversary bash Saturday, Feb. 4, at the main library.
Initially, the Seed Library checked out almost 8,000 packets of seeds, and now it’s up to 26,000-plus packets annually. In its five years, the Bookbike — now a fleet of three — has given away almost 51,000 books.
Greene — whose self-given job title is “librarian on the move” and who works at the Joel D. Valdez Main Library — got the idea for the Bookbike after reading about a Chicago writer who pedaled a custom-built bike that carried books he gave away in city parks.
After popping open four latches, the blue trunk reveals 200 pounds of books of assorted genres to be displayed on its lightly scuffed white shelves. Often, the Bookbike — thanks to the Lions Club — hands out free reading glasses, too. Info about library cards and other programs is also available.
Greene pedals the bike herself once a month, and enjoys getting to know regulars and their tastes in books.
Just talking about it makes her smile. “I love doing this.”
