How does a rural county library system serve patrons who can’t visit in person? In 1986, Geauga County Public Library (GCPL) identified a need to “provide bookmobile service to Geauga County residents who, because of inclement weather (particularly Geauga County’s harsh winters), lack of transportation in the county and/or distance from fixed facilities, do not utilize traditional in-building library services.”[1] GCPL applied for a grant to support its “World On Wheels” bookmobile program, and with funding secured, it launched a traveling library that would eventually circulate more materials than any bookmobile in Ohio.[2]

 

When GCPL applied for a grant for World on Wheels in 1986, Geauga County had no cities. It was composed of six villages and a number of unincorporated townships. The low population densities of many of the communities would “impede the delivery of library services from branch locations.” Thus, the creation of a bookmobile dedicated to serving the widespread population of the county was imperative.

 

The World On Wheels bookmobile, funded by the 1986 grant, set out that same year to test the effectiveness and popularity of bookmobile service in Geauga County. By the end of the year, World On Wheels had served 39 locations and circulated just under 17,000 library items. In 1992, GCPL purchased a new bookmobile, replacing the original, which had accumulated over 100,000 miles. In 2007, the second bookmobile was retired, and a brand new bookmobile hit the roads of Geauga County.[3] Today, the GCPL bookmobile is as popular as ever and in 2012, it logged 290,855 circulated materials.[4] Bookmobile manager, Jane Attina, has been with the bookmobile since 1986 when the grant for World on Wheels was secured. She has led efforts to improve the bookmobile and hopes that someday GCPL will have two bookmobiles on the road.[5]

 

 

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[1] “Project Abstract,” World on Wheels Grant Proposal, February 27, 1986.

 

[2] “The New Geauga County Public Library Bookmobile Welcomes You!,” 2007.

 

[3] Ibid.

 

[4] Bookmobile Circulation Statistics 1986-2012, Geauga County Public Library.

 

[5] Informal interview with Jane Attina, Manager of the Bookmobile, at Middlefield Public Library. June 10, 2013.