Books on the Move

Facebook has become a minefield, especially this past week. I find myself tiptoeing through the social media behemoth, in search of personal stories from friends and interesting tidbits.

Washington County Free Library,
Maryland, c. 1905. PUBLIC DOMAIN

Fortunately, I can always count on Cleveland Public Library's John Skrtic to share old photos and ephemera about our fair city.

A few days ago, John shared a photo of Cleveland's first Book Car from the summer of 1927. It features children sitting on the ground in front of the vehicle, listening (presumably) to a librarian. The caption states that circulation was 7,070, with children's books taking the largest share, with 5,923.

The picture got me wondering about the history of bookmobiles. So it was off to the Google to see what I could see.

Our friends across the pond in Great Britain have been given credit for the first mobile libraries, which began popping up during the 19th Century. Here in the States, we have librarian Mary Titcomb of Washington County, Maryland, to thank for bringing books to the folks who couldn't make it to the library.

The first iteration of Titcomb's mobile library, created at the turn of the 20th Century, was a horse-drawn cart. By 1912, motorized vehicles were transporting books to local schools and centers for seniors, as well as to rural areas.

The idea took off, and hundreds of other communities across the country built their own bookmobiles. The Great Depression put a damper on things, but the 1950s saw a rebirth of the popular books-on-wheels concept.

While Washington County continues to enjoy a robust interest in the bookmobile, its success in other communities is mixed. Most recent numbers indicate a slight uptick in their popularity, but I imagine it's the counties with a wide rural population that are most likely to continue their bookmobile use.

"So," you may, "how have other countries brought books to their citizens?"

Here's what I discovered:

South Asia, 1931: S.R. Ranganathan took his two-wheeled cart to the populace in an effort to educate its rural citizens living in poverty.

Kenya, 1996: The Camel Service Library was born, offering books in Swahili, Somali and English.

Colombia, 1990s: The Biblioburro was dreamed up by Luis Soriano. From the backs of his two donkeys, Alfa and Beto, he dispenses books to municipalities on the Caribbean shore. Zimbabwe, inspired by the Biblioburro concept, developed its own donkey-powered book cart.

Thailand: Elephants are the power behind the bookmobile here.

Western Norway: Small maritime communities enjoy the book selection served up by itinerate ships.

So, there you have it. Before there was a service to deliver your meals, there was a wagon to bring you books.

Because food for thought matters.

Bon apétit!