The Bookmobile and learning from the past

THE BOOKWORM

In case you haven’t seen us out and about, we’ve been gradually adding more stops to our outreach schedule with the library’s new Bookmobile. It’s been quite fun driving it and meeting all sorts of great folks when we’re out in the community.

The Bookmobile comes with great bells and whistles such as a generator, lift in the back, a TV, sound system and its own HVAC system. I feel grateful when I’m in this awesome vehicle and can’t help but think of those who have gone before us, in more challenging times.

My good friend Kathi Appelt is a children’s book author in College Station and wrote the wonderful book, “Down Cut Shin Creek.” It relates the stories of the pack horse librarians in Kentucky that were part of a WPA project during the great depression. These amazing women rode horses loaded with books through rugged country, often in grueling weather. Their goal was to get books and news into the hands of the poorest of the poor in the Appalachians.

We have a copy of “Down Cut Shin Creek” cataloged in the library and even though it’s a children’s book, adults will also love reading the story and looking at the historical photos.

If you’d like to listen to an interview with Appelt discussing the pack horse librarians, here’s one you can check out: https:// kitchensisters.org/present/ packhorselibrarians.

Another interesting book I came across in our catalog is a novel titled, “The Camel Bookmobile,” by Masha Hamilton. This is available in our Cloud Library app and tells the story of an American woman who travels to remote parts of Kenya to deliver books by camel.

In our juvenile department, there is a delightful picture book in both English and Spanish titled, “Waiting for the Biblioburro,” set in rural Colombia.

Here are some places you can visit our library’s Bookmobile, soon: Saturday, March 21, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Outdoor Family Fair at Main Plaza.

Thursday, March 26, 10 a.m. to noon -- The Center at Kronkosky Place.

Monday, March 30, 10-10:50 a.m. – The Center at Kronkosky Place (Books & Bunnies Program).