Who uses the GCPL Bookmobile?

 

The Geauga County Public Library Bookmobile serves a variety of patrons in the rural communities of Geauga County, but large portions of its patrons are Amish. The town of Middlefield is home to the fourth-largest Amish settlement in the world. Because their traditional religious beliefs prevent them from owning or driving cars, the Amish travel by horse and buggy. Depending on where someone lives, having to use a horse and buggy can make getting to a public library difficult, especially in the winter. In addition, some Amish individuals and families might not want, or may not be able to pay for, a taxi to take them into town to visit the library. In 1986, the Bookmobile began its service with zero stops serving the Amish. By 2012, the Bookmobile was making 81 stops; 63 of these were service to the Amish.[1] The GCPL Bookmobile also has a book delivery program for Amish Schools in Geauga County. Drivers deliver books once a month for students to borrow.[2]

The Bookmobile also serves a variety of childcare facilities, a school for the mentally disabled, local shut-ins, and senior citizen centers.[3]

 

“Delivering Books and a Smile”

 

The GCPL Bookmobile was featured in the 2007 Harper Collins Press book, Hometown Heroes: Real Stories of Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things All Across America. The chapter, called “Delivering Books and a Smile,” focused on the Bookmobile as not just a traveling library, but a community center – a place where people can talk, share experiences, and bond over a love of reading. It also explains how the Bookmobile staff are not just bus drivers. They wear many hats and work as pages, circulation clerks, and reference librarians.[4]

 

Friends of the Geauga County Public Library Bookmobile

 

The friends of the Geauga County Public Library Bookmobile was established in 1991. It is a “volunteer-driven group that is dedicated to supporting the Bookmobile in its effort to provide library materials for its patrons.” This friends group is the only known bookmobile friends group in Ohio. The Friends of the Bookmobile raises funds for things like new carpet, reading programs, and shelving, among other things.[5]

 

 

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[1] Bookmobile Circulation and Patron History 1986-2012, Geauga County Public Library.

 

[2] “Amish Book Program Information for Teachers,” Geauga County Public Library.

 

[3] Bookmobile Schedule, Geauga County Public Library.

 

[4] Vivian Wagner, “Delivering Books and a Smile,” in Hometown Heroes: Real Stories of Ordinary People Doing Extraordinary Things All Across America (New York: Harper Collins), 2007, 133-136.

 

[5] “Friends of the Bookmobile,” Geauga County Public Library.