Marion Public Library’s first bookmobile debuts with twice-weekly stops
By Elijah Decious – The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (TNS)
Dec. 26—The Gazette offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
MARION — A brand-new bookmobile is opening a new chapter for the Marion Public Library as it hits the streets in December.
The new vehicle, which can hold about 3,000 books, brought the service back to Marion for the first time in several decades as it started twice-weekly stops on Dec. 17.
“The mission of the library, when you boil it down, is to provide services to all members of the community,” said Bill Carroll, director of the Marion Public Library. “We do that well out of the main branch building, but we’re trying to do it well to those who can’t get to us.”
The $400,000 investment is the Marion Public Library’s first bookmobile. From the 1950s to the 1980s, Marion contracted with the Cedar Rapids Public Library’s bookmobile, but never had one of its own, according to Darryn Gradhandt, patron services lead for the Marion Public Library.
It joins two other mobile units in the Corridor: the Cedar Rapids Public Library’s Mobile Technology Lab and the Iowa City Public Library’s bookmobile.
The new tool arrives after several years in the making. Prior to construction of Marion’s new Uptown library, which opened in 2022, feasibility studies posed three options for the growing city: build a large and centrally located branch; build a smaller, centrally located branch with satellite libraries; or build a medium-sized branch in a central location with a bookmobile.
The vehicle is funded for ongoing operations, with a life expectancy of 10 to 15 years.
Carroll, who previously launched a bookmobile at another library, said it’s a chance to take the library’s mission and apply it in new ways as an opportunity for learning and an outlet for entertainment for those without library exposure. In addition to a rotating selection across genres for adults and children, the truck will have a mobile hot spot offering internet access.
In the future, the bookmobile hopes to add laptops for patrons to check out.
“Any time I talk about it with members of the community, there’s excitement,” Carroll said. “Those who are older have fond memories. For younger patrons who see it and have access to books for the first time, it’s very exciting.”
And, in modern times with budget constraints, he said it’s a modern compromise to serve those who most need a public library.
Using geographic information system data, the City of Marion’s Information Technology department has been working with the library to identify the best bookmobile parking spots for outreach. As the city expands north, Gradhandt said the bookmobile will target southerly areas with limited access to public transportation routes, including apartment buildings and senior living centers.
Its current schedule is:
— 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Thomas Park (343 Marion Blvd.)
— 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Lowe Park (4500 10th St.)
The initial schedule prioritizes fewer but longer stops in high-visibility areas to attract patrons, as knowledge of the bookmobile grows. The route will expand starting June 2025.
While the number of bookmobiles has dwindled nationwide, they still hold a special place in the hearts of patrons. Many rely on them for social needs, in addition to practical value.
“In the areas they exist, they’re crucial,” Gradhandt said. “It’s far from books. … Books are almost a secondary or tertiary thing.”
But the books are still nothing to sneeze at. The patron services lead said that studies consistently show a crucial correlation between early reading and academic success.
“So many kids are so hungry for books, they devour them. When the library can come to them, that’s almost like Santa coming,” he said. “This gives us an unprecedented ability to serve them.”
Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.
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