Bringing books to Burlington County with the bookmobile
If Mohammed can’t get to the library in Burlington County, the library will come to Mohammed.
Burlington County’s library system provides its residents with all the amenities of one of its branches in a state-of-the-art bookmobile that traverses around the county to bi-weekly scheduled stops four days a week.
“In my opinion, it’s the second best technology the library system has available,” said Paula Lynch Manzella, manager of the bookmobile.
In July, the bookmobile, which has existed for over 40 years, made its first appearance at the Burlington County Farm Fair, giving people at the fair the ability to attain library cards and sign out any of the close to 5,000 items carried in the 40-foot Fleetwood bus.
Its appearance gave fair-goers the opportunity to learn what the bookmobile has to offer and how they can interact with the library branches through the bookmobile.
If a borrower checks out a book from any of the branches, he or she can check it back in at the bookmobile. The opposite is true if an item is checked out of the bookmobile.
According to Manzella, the bookmobile is outfitted with recently upgraded laptops and a computer system that connects it to the libraries around the county in real-time, allowing users to look up an item’s availability or status throughout the library system.
The library connectivity is in the process of being upgraded.
“It [the bookmobile] combines personal service with technology. It brings technology to people who can’t get to the library,” said Manzella.
The original bookmobile or “book truck” began in 1923, but due to gas shortages in the 1930s and 1940s, the book service to the county stopped.
In 1960, a new “walk on” bookmobile was purchased and started visiting neighborhoods.
After another bookmobile was attained in 1963, regular routes began, visiting almost all the towns in the county. One of the longest stops is at New Gretna in Bass River Township.
The location of the stops can come about by invitation or as a result of the bookmobile exploring the vicinity, seeing a need and trying to fill it.
The locations can change every six months based on use activity.
“We don’t need a specific number of users, but we need consistency,” said Manzella.
The Mansfield location has existed for 30 years because families have consistently used the bookmobile — now they’re bringing their grandchildren.
“We’ve kept stuff because people are dedicated,” said Manzella.
The “stuff” provided by the bookmobile includes fiction and non-fiction books in regular and large print, children’s books, DVDs, audio books, CDs and playaways, which are books on MP3 players.
The traditional bi-weekly schedule from Monday to Thursday allows the bookmobile to get to more stops in a given day and spend more time in a given location.
The Medford Leas and Leisuretown stops get weekly visits.
“We have so much fun getting to know customers on a personal basis — getting to know [their] likes and dislikes,” said Manzella.
Aside from this schedule, the bookmobile appears at four special events a year around the county.
Upcoming, the bookmobile is scheduled to be at Rancocas Valley High School for “Kids Day America” on Sept. 20. Residents can also visit the bookmobile on “Westampton Day” on Sept. 27.
For additional information about the Burlington County bookmobile, visit www.bcls.lib.nj.us/bookmobile, or call 609-267-9660, ext. 3069.
Burlington County’s library system provides its residents with all the amenities of one of its branches in a state-of-the-art bookmobile that traverses around the county to bi-weekly scheduled stops four days a week.
“In my opinion, it’s the second best technology the library system has available,” said Paula Lynch Manzella, manager of the bookmobile.
In July, the bookmobile, which has existed for over 40 years, made its first appearance at the Burlington County Farm Fair, giving people at the fair the ability to attain library cards and sign out any of the close to 5,000 items carried in the 40-foot Fleetwood bus.
Its appearance gave fair-goers the opportunity to learn what the bookmobile has to offer and how they can interact with the library branches through the bookmobile.
If a borrower checks out a book from any of the branches, he or she can check it back in at the bookmobile. The opposite is true if an item is checked out of the bookmobile.
According to Manzella, the bookmobile is outfitted with recently upgraded laptops and a computer system that connects it to the libraries around the county in real-time, allowing users to look up an item’s availability or status throughout the library system.
The library connectivity is in the process of being upgraded.
“It [the bookmobile] combines personal service with technology. It brings technology to people who can’t get to the library,” said Manzella.
The original bookmobile or “book truck” began in 1923, but due to gas shortages in the 1930s and 1940s, the book service to the county stopped.
In 1960, a new “walk on” bookmobile was purchased and started visiting neighborhoods.
After another bookmobile was attained in 1963, regular routes began, visiting almost all the towns in the county. One of the longest stops is at New Gretna in Bass River Township.
The location of the stops can come about by invitation or as a result of the bookmobile exploring the vicinity, seeing a need and trying to fill it.
The locations can change every six months based on use activity.
“We don’t need a specific number of users, but we need consistency,” said Manzella.
The Mansfield location has existed for 30 years because families have consistently used the bookmobile — now they’re bringing their grandchildren.
“We’ve kept stuff because people are dedicated,” said Manzella.
The “stuff” provided by the bookmobile includes fiction and non-fiction books in regular and large print, children’s books, DVDs, audio books, CDs and playaways, which are books on MP3 players.
The traditional bi-weekly schedule from Monday to Thursday allows the bookmobile to get to more stops in a given day and spend more time in a given location.
The Medford Leas and Leisuretown stops get weekly visits.
“We have so much fun getting to know customers on a personal basis — getting to know [their] likes and dislikes,” said Manzella.
Aside from this schedule, the bookmobile appears at four special events a year around the county.
Upcoming, the bookmobile is scheduled to be at Rancocas Valley High School for “Kids Day America” on Sept. 20. Residents can also visit the bookmobile on “Westampton Day” on Sept. 27.
For additional information about the Burlington County bookmobile, visit www.bcls.lib.nj.us/bookmobile, or call 609-267-9660, ext. 3069.
