Bookmobiles are a vital part of public library services, bringing access to information and resources for lifelong learning to preschoolers, seniors and all community members when visiting a physical library location is difficult. Follow along on a busy day at ACLA Mobile Services and meet the friendly and hardworking staff.

A Day on the Bookmobile

Many people wake up in the morning, go through their morning routine, and trudge to some sort of mundane form of income-earning eight hours of torture. I’m here to tell you that’s not how it is at Bookmobile! Our cast of characters – Chuck (Assistant Operations Manager), Gloria (Assistant Operations Manager), Becky (Preschool Outreach Specialist), Adam (Library Assistant), Lorraine (Page/Clerk), and our Drivers/Clerks Don and Frank – all arrive with smiles on their faces, eager to start their day.

Our three bookmobiles service a wide variety of populations. Our senior route caters to older adults. Our preschool route delivers services exclusively to Head Start programs and select daycares. And our community route services communities that don’t have a physical library location. We also assist larger libraries in reaching their outlying populations. We cover a lot of miles and spend a lot of time away from the building!

Our day starts out like any other day in any other library, only a lot earlier. Staff get in around 8:00 am and get to work pulling books on hold, making sure the bookmobiles are restocked and ready for patrons, and that all the requests are loaded aboard. The drivers do their pre-trip inspections of each vehicle to make sure they are safe for the road. Then the bookmobiles begin departing the garage, with a crew of two staff members for each vehicle, to deliver much-anticipated library materials to our patrons.

 For the preschoolers, each bookmobile visit includes a story-time from Becky, our Preschool Outreach Specialist, followed by a visit out to the bookmobile to select their own book to read in their classroom. There are many selections on board for the teachers, as well, to help them bring their curriculum to the young minds they are fostering. Our friendly driver greets everyone, takes care of the check-ins and accepts the new selections from the little hands struggling to get the book up on to the counter. Once the children and teachers are taken care of, the bookmobile is tidied up and off to its next stop!

Our senior bookmobile operates a little bit differently. Gloria and Adam deliver requested materials to senior high rises and assisted living facilities as well as book trucks loaded with various large print, non-fiction, and A/V materials to supplement their requests. The driver handles all the check-ins from a cart with a computer mounted to it, while Gloria or Adam handle patron requests. And let’s not forget catching up on what’s going on in everyone’s lives. An open-ended question as simple as “how are you doing today?” can lead to a conversation ranging from glaucoma to bunions. At the end of the stop, the truck is loaded back up and it’s off to the next location!

While the bookmobiles are out on the road, there is at least one person left behind in the office. The items on hold are being found by Lorraine, and it’s not an easy task. Not only are items located in our stacks, but you also must check the vehicles before they head out for the day. It’s hectic around here first thing in the morning! Afterwards, there is some book processing to do, mending, shelving, whatever needs done before our book delivery gets here. Every day, we receive a delivery of items that have been sent for our patrons from other libraries. Each item is scanned and placed in the appropriate place – some for shelving, some to the holds shelves. Each bookmobile stop has its own hold shelf, so there’s a lot to keep track of!

After the bookmobiles return, they are re-stocked and made ready again for the next day, to repeat the process with all new locations. Last one out, lock the door and hit the lights!

— Chuck Arrigo, Operations Manager, ACLA Mobile Library Services

Meet the ACLA Mobile Library Services Staff

Chuck Arrigo, Operations Manager (and occasional driver)

My job functions range from day-to-day operations and supervision, to changing oil and fixing broken things, to driving the bookmobiles on any of the three routes that we have.  My favorite thing about the bookmobile is the diversity in the patrons that we serve and being able to get library materials in their hands when most often they have no other way to obtain them.

Lorraine Berner, Page/Clerk

I work as a Page/Clerk doing “behind-the-scenes” work with the delivery of items coming and going through the Bookmobile. The Bookmobile is a unique service and I like that we serve the senior population in the county to provide access to library materials that they would otherwise not have.

Adam Lawler, Library Assistant

I’m Adam Lawler, a Library Assistant with ACLA Mobile Library services, and I like getting to visit our patrons in senior homes. It’s rewarding to connect with them and help them find books and resources that they enjoy.

Gloria Lawler, Assistant Operations Manager

As the Assistant Operations Manager my main responsibilities are coordinating the Senior and General Bookmobile routes.  The best part of my job is working with people ranging in ages from 2-100+ and connecting them with all the library has to offer!  Being on the road is always exciting and sometimes scary (have you seen the way people drive?) but we have the BEST staff and the BEST library users!  I am very lucky to be a part of Mobile Library Services!

Becky Sabol, Preschool Outreach Specialist

I visit each classroom of 2–5-year-old children once a month and provided a Storytime and a visit to the Bookmobile. The children and their teachers check out books. My favorite thing about working for the Bookmobile is seeing the enjoyment on the children faces during our visit.

Don Vingin, Driver/Clerk

I am a Driver/Clerk on Preschool and Senior Services routes.  I do on site check-ins and check-outs of Mobile Library materials. My favorite thing about the Mobile Library Service is seeing the enjoyment of patrons when they receive something of special interest to them. 

Frank Zupan, Driver/Clerk

I drive all 3 bookmobiles, over routes that visit Senior living facilities, Preschool / Headstart programs, and community stops. I came onboard as a retiree, looking for some extra income, at a job with light physical demands. Driving the Bookmobile fit that bill perfectly. I find it very enjoyable, between interacting with my co-workers and meeting patrons that cover a wide range of society. Delivering reading materials and other items available in the library system, to people that would have a difficult (if not impossible) ability to visit a brick and mortar library, provides a lot of satisfaction for myself.