Bookmobile launches to public after more than two years of
planning
The San Benito County bookmobile has been two and a half years
in the making, and it was finally debuted to the public June 16
with fanfare.
Bookmobile launches to public after more than two years of planning
The San Benito County bookmobile has been two and a half years in the making, and it was finally debuted to the public June 16 with fanfare.
“There aren’t enough words to express the joy,” said Nora Conte, the county librarian, after the ribbon cutting. “The community, the Board of Supervisors, really pulled together. This is what it took to make it happen.”
The afternoon event included the ribbon cutting for the bookmobile, an ice cream social in the Barbara Memorial Room, Silly Ricky’s Animal Creations on the sidewalk outside, and plenty of staff available to sign children up for the summer reading club.
The bookmobile cost $300,000. The San Benito County Board of Supervisors kicked in $210,000 of the total while the Friends of the Library contributed the rest through fundraisers, grants and donations.
“Carlos Munoz, the library tech, spent hours to develop the wrap [the bookmobile artwork], going out and taking pictures,” Conte said.
Wrap designs for bookmobiles can cost up to $10,000, but Munoz learned to use Adobe Photoshop to create the collage that combined scenic images of San Benito County with a cross-section of the population – all with books in hand.
“At any age, anywhere, anytime, you can enjoy a book,” Conte said, to a crowd of people gathered for the debut.
Some of those gathered included county supervisors, city council members, a representative from Congressman Sam Farr’s office and a representative of Assemblymember Anna Caballero’s office, as well as others involved along the way.
“Two and a half years ago, we started to do this,” Conte said. “Two and a half years ago. It’s not only about the bookmobile, but it is about libraries. The San Benito County Free Library is no longer just one library.”
In the program for the ribbon cutting, Conte wrote the four ingredients she thought were necessary to bring the bookmobile to SBC – inspiration, leadership, hope and unity of purpose.
“No one does anything alone,” she said. “These were our helpers.”
The Friends of the Library received financial support from more than two-dozen groups in the form of grants, donations and other fundraisers. The supporters ranged from nationally-known groups such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the Willow Grove School Parent’s Club (see story online for a full list of donors.)
Of course, the library staff also played an integral part in developing the bookmobile, which can hold 2,800 items. A step inside reveals brand-new book after brand-new book lining the shelves with nary a crease in sight. The mobile also includes a collection of DVDs and books on CD. It has an awning that can be put up when it is parked, and shelves that hook up outside of the vehicle that will be set up with computers with Internet access. The computers will be used to help people with job searches, to sign them up for library cards or to request books from the online catalog.
“The best thing is that the library is so small that this will be taking the library out [to residents],” Conte said. “It takes care of barriers like distance.”
By Conte’s count, 367 people visit the library each day that it is open.
Library staff members are still working out a schedule for the bookmobile, which should be available next week, but the hope is that they will be able to take it to rural areas as well as locations inside the city limits for people who might not have easy access to transportation.
Four staff members comprised the bookmobile team for the last two years, including Munoz, Wendy Kay, James Ghorizi and Stephanie Lane. The Friends of the Library members also contributed.
“San Benito County has stood by the project in a way that has been wonderful,” said Lane, who watched over the bookmobile as residents took tours. “But Nora was really the mastermind behind all this.”
Conte, who has had plans for the library since she first came to the helm in October 2006, already has her next project identified.
“We need a bigger facility,” Conte said. “It is too small for 57,000 people [who live in San Benito County].”
