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we play when we arrive. Often, kids are outside in the playground. They get really excited when they hear the musical horn,” Hibbeler said. Bookmobile visits often include story time, as well as an opportunity to check out books.
Dottie follows a regular summer route with neighborhood stops throughout Williston and St. George. To ensure broad accessibility, the bus has a lift for patrons to get on and off the vehicle and book carts that can be rolled into a facility.
“ We had more than 2,000 people visit us on Dottie this last summer,” Hibbeler said.
“ A large part of the collection is what I call a recreational reading collection. For adults, we always try to get the hot summer titles with an emphasis on popular fiction,” Hibbeler said.
Cobleigh Library in Lyndon began its bookmobile service in the early 2000s. From Monday through Thursday, Cobleigh bookmobile driver Colleen Lariviere hits three to five locations in the towns of Lyndon, Sheffield, and Burke.
“ Colleen has been a driver for eight years. Every day she has a different set of local daycares or schools or community groups that she visits,” said Kaitlin Wood, director of the Cobleigh Library. Most of the books in their bookmobile collection are for children. Sometimes, Lariviere brings books inside into the building. Other times, people come on board the bookmobile.
“ Patrons can request books to be brought onto the bookmobile that are part of the library’ s collection,” said Wood. Visits to younger readers typically include a story time.
“ Colleen does a nice job of tailoring her story times to what the kids are studying or are interested in at the time,” Wood said.“ If she’ s going to a school, teachers can request to have her bring a certain kind of topic,” she continued. On some weekdays, Lariviere provides books to as many as 200 children.
The Cobleigh bookmobile is supported entirely by donations and contributions from endowments. Recently, a coin drop in Lyndonville raised $ 2,100 for the Cobleigh bookmobile.
Cobleigh trustee Bruce Starbuck does repairs to their bookmobile, free of charge.
Both outreach librarians( Hibbeler and Wood) agree that their work has been on the rise since the pandemic, as patrons seek ways to access resources in non-traditional ways.
“ There are lots of librarians around the state who go out into the community with books and deliver them. It might not look like a‘ Dottie’ or a full-service little library on wheels, but people should let libraries know that they value outreach services,” Hibbeler said.
While the heyday of the Vermont Bookmobile is long gone, Vermonters in a handful of communities still benefit greatly from this unique form of library outreach. n
72 VERMONT MAGAZINE