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Road Warriors!
Yesterday & Today
Soon after the library district was established
in January 1949, MCL purchased it's first bookmobile and hit the road on May
17, 1949. In the beginning, the early bookmobile "pioneers" endured some
pretty extreme conditions: lack of any air conditioning in the unbearable
summer heat of yesteryear, the inability to keep the huge amounts of dust out
of the interior of the vehicle as they traveled along primitive roadways and
the lack of restroom facilities all made their job pretty tough at times.
The minutes from the August 1, 1949 Board meeting authorized staff to try tying
a bag of dry-ice in front of the heater fan in an attempt to find some comfort
from the heat!
Several other bookmobiles have been in service
at MCL over the years. Our current bookmobile started service on April 19,
2004. Bookmobiles have come a long way since 1949. Those who board today's
bookmobile will find not only a great collection of books, videos, magazines,
CD's, DVD's, books-on-tape, and computer access, but a friendly (and cool!)
atmosphere as well. Features such as an outside awning and an inside electronic
reader board add to the bookmobile's appeal.
Our bookmobile serves stops in Benton and
Franklin Counties, including rural schools with small libraries, or no
libraries at all. Click on the "Schedule" link to find out about current stops,
as well as dates for parades that will include the bookmobile.
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