When I heard about Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s new bookmobile, I immediately flashed back to my first visit to a bookmobile. I grew up in the mountains of Colorado where the closest public library was many miles away from my home. However, every month the county sent a bookmobile to the Inter-Canyon Fire Department, where both of my parents served as volunteer firefighters. My mother would bring my brother, sister, and me to the bookmobile, and we each got to take home a book or two. The first book I checked out was Curious George. I was about six at the time, but I felt very grown-up when I checked out the book all by myself. Our bookmobile had once been a bus from the 1940s before being converted into a bookmobile, but we loved it despite its run-down appearance. We always looked forward to our bookmobile day.
Like the bookmobile from my childhood, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s new Mobile Library is intended to serve patrons who cannot easily visit one of the library’s branch locations. The new Mobile Library, however, is not a converted old bus. It is a state-of-the-art, 33-foot-long vehicle with its own generator and solar panels. It has an ADA-compatible wheelchair lift, a speaker system, free Wi-Fi, eight public-use Chromebooks, and sufficient shelf space for 2,400 books, audiobooks, magazines, CDs and DVDs. For more information about the Mobile Library, please click on the following link: https://www.cmlibrary.org/mobilelibrary
The Mobile Library will begin serving the community on January 18, 2022. Saul Hernandez, the Mobile Library Coordinator, is looking forward to the launching of this new outreach service. I contacted Saul and asked him for his thoughts on the Mobile Library and the role that it will play in the Charlotte community. Here is what he sent to me:
The Mobile Library—which we’ve nicknamed MoLi around here—offers the opportunity for people to embrace library services in their collective backyard, even those who might not enjoy convenient access to brick-and-mortar locations. As MoLi begins its first voyages into the community, we’re excited to connect to people who are already passionate about library services as well as those who might be unfamiliar with the amazing services that are available through the golden ticket that is a Charlotte Mecklenburg Library card.
Some Mecklenburg residents might experience limitations in connecting to these services. Some who might otherwise be a passionate library customer may find themselves experiencing barriers to our services, only needing an opportunity to avail themselves of these golden opportunities. That’s where MoLi shines; we aim to provide opportunities to connect to the library throughout Mecklenburg County, to act on the principle of equitable access to information, and to deepen our existing connection to the community through the opportunities that MoLi provides us.
As we begin using MoLi to serve our communities, we are looking for opportunities to collaborate with customers to learn how we can improve our library. I’m reminded of a young man I met recently who expressed interest in starting a small business and borrowed related reading material. The privilege of being allowed these little glimpses into people’s goals, into their lives, and to help connect them to the tools they need for self-actualization is the engine that drives MoLi. I hope to meet this young man again, to learn where his book has taken him, and to deepen the service MoLi provides by offering resources and workshops related to his goals. The Mobile Library is in its infancy, but like our entrepreneur friend, we have long-term goals and passion to make our home, Mecklenburg County, that much stronger.
When you see MoLi on the road, give us a wave! Come aboard and take advantage of the services and resources that the Mobile Library offers. Share a story about some of your personal goals; we may have just what you need to help you achieve your life goals. We are looking forward to growing alongside you!
The Charlotte Mecklenburg Library will hold a special ribbon-cutting event to mark the arrival of MoLi. Billed as the Mobile Library Community Celebration, this event will take place on January 29, 2022, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Eastway Regional Recreation Center, 150 Eastway Park Drive. The arrival of MoLi is indeed a cause for celebration, for the new Mobile Library will undoubtedly enrich Storied Charlotte by bringing books to readers and by providing library services to residents who might not be able to visit one of the library’s branch locations.