Do you remember the Bookmobile?
By Amber
@AmbiePam (94507)
United States
December 29, 2024 3:03pm CST
Growing up, our closest public library was about 20 minutes away, which isn’t far at all. However, during the summer, the Bookmobile would park itself right next to the police station, (a mile from our house) and you could just come in, look through the walls lined with books, and check them out. Depending on how many books you read that summer, you’d win prizes. The biggest prize was 4 tickets to a AAA baseball game in Oklahoma City. While my sister and I read enough books every year to win those tickets, we could not have cared less about going to a baseball game. My parents did take us one year just to give us the experience of having attended.
The Bookmobile was just a little fifth wheel trailer, with a desk for the lady watching over the place, and shelves on the walls stuffed to the ceiling with books. I don’t know if they still have them there as I moved away 27 years ago. I really hope they do.
Did you guys have one of those growing up near you?
19 people like this
21 responses
@MarieCoyle (39118)
•
30 Dec
I dearly loved the Bookmobile when I was young. I honestly have not seen one in years. We do have quite a number of “Little Free Library” places, tiny little stands that are weather proof here and there, that people can put books in to share or take books out. They seem to be very popular.
1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (94507)
• United States
30 Dec
@MarieCoyle I think I’ll start carrying a few books with me in in my car in case I see a Little Library out and about. I’d love to contribute a book adults could enjoy that aren’t romance oriented.
1 person likes this
@MarieCoyle (39118)
•
30 Dec
@AmbiePam
We do have some. I have put books in there from time to time. Unfortunately, usually the books they have available are children's books--I don't need any of those, I have quite the collection. And I see a slew of those sappy romance type of books like Harlequin...umm...nope. But it's still a good thing, it encourages people to read and that's never a bad thing.
1 person likes this
@xstitcher (32807)
• Petaluma, California
1 Jan
I heard of it, but don't remember ever seeing it when I was young (LOL--not that my not remembering it means anything 
). I am very grateful for the Little Libraries. The only trouble I have with them is that I get interested in a series because I get a book out of a Little Library, and then I can never find the rest of it (and can't afford to buy it these days)!
). I am very grateful for the Little Libraries. The only trouble I have with them is that I get interested in a series because I get a book out of a Little Library, and then I can never find the rest of it (and can't afford to buy it these days)!1 person likes this
@AmbiePam (94507)
• United States
20h
@xstitcher I actually should have some young adults books from years ago. I was a big fiction reader back then.
1 person likes this
@xstitcher (32807)
• Petaluma, California
21h
@AmbiePam But you have to come to California to do that, plus, I often read young adult books, so you need those, too!
1 person likes this
@snowy22315 (182761)
• United States
29 Dec
Yes, I used it a lot in the summer when I was in upper elementary school. It would stop not far from where we lived. We had baskets on our bikes we could load up with books.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (83184)
• United States
30 Dec
I know of the Bookmobile but can't say it's anything that we had access to. Our library was within a bike ride when I was growing up and driving distance for all the years since. I always loved the library and never came home without an arm load of books.
My granddaughter is becoming a librarian and in her second year of college. She loves it. Maybe I passed down the love to reading to her?
1 person likes this
@thislittlepennyearns (63050)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
31 Dec
I don't remember one growing up but both my grandparents were teachers so I had full access to the school library and I had a library card for the public one.
They still had the bookmobile here at least they did a couple years ago.
1 person likes this
@thislittlepennyearns (63050)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
31 Dec
@AmbiePam Grandpa taugh science, social studies, bible and health. Grandma taugh English, Spanish, Creative Writing and a brief foray into French. At least while I was in school that's what they taught. They also taught on the indian reservations before I was born.
1 person likes this
@pumpkinjam (8786)
• United Kingdom
30 Dec
We have had something like that in our town. I think it was just called the mobile library. It seemed to emerge randomly and would park outside a local colliery club. At the time, we had two libraries in our town and a bigger one in the centre of the next town. I think they also had smaller libraries in several of the town's suburbs. I believe the mobile library served both towns (and possibly others in the county).
I don't recall seeing a mobile library for some time, although I probably wouldn't pay much attention to it anyway. We still have the main library in our town but we lost the second one. It was used by the nearby nursery for play sessions (I worked at those) but, sadly, the funding got cut for those as well. It then turned into a centre to support people looking for work. Last I knew, it was being used as a religious building.
1 person likes this
@much2say (56396)
• Los Angeles, California
30 Dec
How cool! I don't think we had Bookmobiles, or at least I was not aware of them. Locally I know we had 2 libraries near home at the time. I don't recall reading prizes until my kids' time . . . they had summer reading programs with book prizes. I would have loved getting baseball tickets 
!
!1 person likes this
@luisadannointed (6408)
• Philippines
30 Dec
Wow that's a very nice experience, I never had one, but what i remeber is the Christian Ship where it yearly dock on in the Philippine boat and sell a lot of books and bible, a lot of Filipinos where lining up, but I never had a chance to line up its so long, and I have to go home early since its a bit far from home when you don't go there by car or taxi, and I don't have money for taxi.
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (50743)
• United States
29 Dec
No, I never saw one. That was a great idea though.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (182925)
• United States
30 Dec
I didn't experience one in my youth; but I know one of the libraries has a bookmobile. Have a good week.
1 person likes this
@LotusEyes (2716)
• India
30 Dec
I don't have any experience with Bookmobile, so I can't say anything.. but it seems interesting.
1 person likes this
@RevivedWarrior (2616)
• India
30 Dec
I have not been fortunate enough to have such experiences. I loved it. It actually encourages reading especially in children. And the competitive spirit can get them to red more books and well , slowly they could become better readers. I did live in Middle East and India and never saw such intiatives or atleast I ws not exposed to such ones. I loved reading the fables , mythology and tales from different countries while I was a child. Later started reading novels of Charles Dickens and others. It ws fun at the time. Loved your experience with bookmobile and well have a great day ahead!
1 person likes this
@kareng (62600)
• United States
30 Dec
We had one that came around one summer when we lived in a subdivision in Baton Rouge. I don't remember it coming back the next summer. I don't think anyone knew the schedule for it either. It could have been a very good thing. I remember that it passed by our house going very fast and no way to get to the road to flag it down before it passed. Terrible!
1 person likes this
@kaylachan (72394)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
29 Dec
i've heard of them and seen some on t.v. but it wasn't anything I'd seen in person. St.Augustine is kind of small. So I guess we didn't need something like that.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (81089)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
29 Dec
Nope, I don't remember any bookmobile, I was always at the library a little bookworm eating my way through tons of books,
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@1creekgirl (41836)
• United States
30 Dec
We never had a bookmobile that I knew of, but I always loved to read.
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (104638)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
29 Dec
I vaguely remember seeing a bookmobile in the suburbs of New Orleans called Metairie where a bookmobile was located in some parts of the city but I never went to a bookmobile.
1 person likes this
