The AVRL Bookmobile was the first bookmobile in Canada! It began in 1949, serving Annapolis and Hants Counties with Kings County joining the route in 1970.
Originally there were two departments within the AVRL that took care of two bookmobiles but the program was cut in 2006 and the departments were amalgamated to become what is now known as Outreach Services. As a result of the amalgamation they lost one of their bookmobiles but gained the newer Books by Mail service. Outreach Services has five full-time staff (a manager, an assistant, two bus drivers, and a coordinator specifically for Books by Mail) and one part-time clerk to help in the summer season. Wendy Kearnes is the current Outreach Services Manager (personal communication, May 26, 2011).
The bookmobile travels throughout the entire Valley region, paying special attention to more remote rural areas from Bear River area (West), out through Springfield and East Dalhousie areas (South/South-East), and as far as Summerville and Cheverie (East). This mobile library serves 37 regular community stops, with an average of 325 patrons per month. This includes monthly book deposits, by the bookmobile and/or delivery van, to 18 daycares/preschools, 29 schools, and 13 nursing homes. Two people travel on the bookmobile each trip: one driver and one clerk. The manager and assistant take turns being clerk on the bus.
The bookmobile carries 2,000 items for its patrons to peruse and borrow, and items are loaned out for a four-week period. Patrons in very rural areas borrow a lot of DVDs from the bookmobile, since this is a more convenient option with living so far away from movie rental stores. Juvenile/children’s books are the biggest portion of materials available on the bus, with Inspirational/Religious fiction books also frequently requested through the bookmobile.
In the winter time bad weather can make travelling in the remote areas very challenging. The decision of cancelling visits due to poor road conditions is left to the discretion of the driver. If a visit is cancelled, Outreach Services does its best to reschedule another visit as soon as possible; they really hate to disappoint their patrons.
The current bus was originally a school bus from the U.S. When the AVRL bought it, it was completely gutted on the inside so they were able to install custom shelving; however, the bus is not equipped with a lift so it is not wheelchair accessible. It is very well taken care of with regularly servicing; most recently it had a brand new bumper and new tires put on.
Although the bus uses diesel fuel to run, as well as fuel the generator for the necessary lighting, heating and cooling components, the staff would love to someday see the bookmobile bus become more “green,” perhaps using solar power. In fact, one of the bus drivers put together a video to nominate their “green” bookmobile idea to thePEPSI Refresh Project in 2010. (Unfortunately, out of hundreds of submissions, their project was not one chosen for funding.)
The bookmobile is clearly marked with the AVRL logo along the outside. It has a generator to run the lights, as well as the air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter. There’s an “OPEN” flag to hang out when they are parked and available for patrons, and anyone with a library card is welcome aboard to check out materials. If you see the bookmobile parked and open for business, don’t be shy – the staff would love for you to stop and say hello!
A Few Facts & Figures
From September 1, 2010 to April 30, 2011:
The bookmobile circulated 20,036 items – this is from 33 community stops, not including daycare or nursing home visits.
The bus was open for patrons to visit 30.7 hours per month. Most of their time is spent driving from place to place.
In 2010:
$2,773.00 was spent on diesel to fuel the bus.
$2,013.00 was spent on servicing the bus for the year (oil changes, tune-ups, repairs, etc.).
The bookmobile travelled at total of 21,906km.
AVRL’s Alternate Mobile Library Services
As stated earlier, Books by Mail is part of the new Outreach Services department of the AVRL. It is a relatively new service and, while offered out of the same department it is not competing with the bookmobile.Books by Mail is specifically for people who are physically unable to visit a library branch or the bookmobile, and its users access it on the honour-system (i.e. patrons are not required to provide a doctor’s note). Some folks that access Books by Mail are people who are convalescing and therefore are temporary users, while others are housebound for different reasons and their access is ongoing.
Outreach Services also has a book deposit program. Although the bookmobile currently stops at 29 schools, there is hope to strengthen this relationship and get more schools involved in the future. In the meantime, Outreach Services deposits a box of books to each school on a monthly basis and constantly rotates the boxes throughout the school year. These boxes of books are delivered across the Annapolis Valley by a minivan designated specifically for this service (or sometimes the bookmobile), stopping at 60 locations and making 208 deposits equalling a total of 6,240 books per month. That requires a lot of organization on behalf of the staff!
References
Second picture from: http://www.refresheverything.ca/imagegallery/resize?src=2010/09/30/1285869640/app_image_7852e473812f9b9cf4f9f5e43016982c.jpg&w=530&h=300
