Centre County Library Hopes to Upgrade Bookmobile

By Julie Valora

As an avid reader since a young age, my mother always made sure I made it to the library. We would make many trips in the summer as I participated in summer reading programs. To me, there was no such thing as too much library time. 

I was fortunate enough to live a short drive away. Living in a rural community, that isn’t the case for everyone.

There are many residents in our county who live more than 20 miles from their local library. Some of those residents don’t have reliable forms of transportation. Some residents have disabilities that prevents them from driving. This can be hard for book lovers who desperately want to read, home school parents who needs resources for their children’s education or job searchers who otherwise have no access to Wi-Fi.

Sure, they could order books from Amazon or borrow audio books, if they had the money. Many residents live on fixed incomes, and this isn’t an option. And, many residents live too far away to even have Internet access. Luckily, Centre County Library and Historical Museum has a way to bring access to those who need it most.

The Bookmobile, just one of 37 in Pennsylvania, has been a staple of Centre County Library since 1942. The first county Bookmobile took to the road Dec. 24, 1941, and the library’s current vehicle is its sixth. Each week, John Gabriel — or Mr. John as he is known to many — makes 18 stops, serving 29 municipalities in Centre County. The locations are in areas that lack public transportation or a nearby library branch.

The Bookmobile is a fully accessible library on wheels. Patrons are able to sign up for a free library card, request books and other media and browse the Bookmobile collection. During the summer, children can register for the Summer Learning Program and log their reading hours. At Hall’s Market in Snow Shoe, there is a tech stop on the second Tuesday of each month, when the library’s technology expert answers questions and helps patrons set up online borrowing on their devices.

The current Bookmobile is 10 years old. And, as with any vehicle, the older it gets, the more maintenance and repairs it requires. And, the library has some exciting renovation and improvement ideas to bring even more services to those who can’t make it to a formal library setting. Maintenance and big dreams mean that the budget needs to increase.

This year, as part of the Centre Gives campaign, the Centre County Library hope to raise $10,000 to use for its beloved Bookmobile. 
Centre Gives is a 36-hour online giving campaign sponsored by the Centre Foundation. It takes place Tuesday, May 8, and Wednesday, May 9, and each participating organization has a chance to receive a percentage of the $200,000 stretch pool and $25,000 in additional prizes. Simply put, community members’ donations go further during Centre Gives, and the Centre County Library hopes community members will help provide materials and services to those who otherwise do not have access to library materials.