A bookmobile, or mobile library, is a vehicle designed for use as a library.[1][2] They have been known by many names throughout history, including traveling library, library wagon, book wagon, book truck, library-on-wheels, and book auto service.[3] Bookmobiles expand the reach of traditional libraries by transporting books to potential readers, providing library services to people in otherwise underserved locations (such as remote areas) and/or circumstances (such as residents of retirement homes). Bookmobile services and materials (such as Internet access, large print books, and audiobooks), may be customized for the locations and populations served.[4]
Bookmobiles have been based on various means of conveyance, including bicycles, carts, motor vehicles, trains, watercraft, and wagons, as well as camels, donkeys, elephants, horses, and mules.[3][4]
- ^ "bookmobile". Merriam-Webster. Archived from the original on 23 April 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ Eveleth, Rose (11 October 2013). "The Earliest Libraries-On-Wheels Looked Way Cooler Than Today's Bookmobiles". Smithsonian Magazine. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
- ^ a b Bashaw, Diane (2010). "On the Road Again: A Look at Bookmobiles, Then and Now". Children & Libraries: The Journal of the Association for Library Service to Children. 3 (1): 33. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
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