Maybe they should change its name to the books-and-movies-and-music-and-computers-and-wifi-mobile.
Nah, bookmobile is easier to say.
But after a $25,000 grant from the Tohono O’odham Nation, the Pima County Public Library’s bookmobile has more to offer than ever.
A set of new laptops lines one wall, and next month they’ll be connected to a router for internet access and to a printer.
People can use the computers to search the library catalog, send an email, or other quick tasks during stops, said Wade Zelenak, library tech supervisor and bookmobile driver.
Kids will be able to view interactive books that read aloud to them and help with reading comprehension. Older kids can use online homework help, and teens can use test-prep materials, said Michelle Simon, the library’s deputy director of support services.
The library is “making sure people can get access to the technology they need” as part of ConnectED, a White House initiative to connect students to the internet through libraries and schools, she said.
The air-conditioned bus makes the rounds to retirement communities, schools, recreation centers and far-flung neighborhoods. Sometimes the wifi from the bus is a neighborhood’s only free internet access, Simon said.
The bus is stocked with more than 3,500 items, including mysteries, westerns, sci-fi, classics, new books, how-to books, books in Spanish, books in large print, magazines, DVDs and audiobooks.
About 6,000 people used the bookmobile last year, said Holly Schaffer, the library’s community relations manager.
Regular bookmobile user Ann Austin said it’s “a lifesaver.” Zelenak knows her name and is very accommodating, she said.
Book lover Jean Lipham uses her home computer to reserve 15 books delivered on the bookmobile, and she usually checks out another 10 on top of that.
The new computers on board are a very good idea, she said. She’s learning to use an ebook device with Zelenak’s help.
“This project is taking the library to where our people live, to where our community members are,” Simon said. “We’re trying to make it so no matter where you live you can use the resources of the library.”
