The Ocean City Free Public Library introduced the community on Wednesday evening to its new Bookmobile — a new van in which “the book goes to the man, not waiting for the man to come to the book.”
The quote is from Mary Titcomb, a librarian from Maryland who created the first “bookmobile” in 1905, a horse-drawn wagon carrying books to readers in the countryside.
But the concept hasn’t changed much over the past 110 years, according to Jennifer Shirk, president of the Ocean City Library Board of Trustees.
She said convenience, ease of use and better access to library services for the north and south ends of the island led the library to explore the idea of the Bookmobile.
Unlike the original wagon, Ocean City’s Bookmobile will deliver more than books. It will provide wireless Internet access, a wireless printer, docking stations to charge smartphones and laptops. It will carry DVDs and periodicals, as well as books.
The vehicle will serve old and young, stopping at or near disabled patrons, preschools, nursing homes and at regularly scheduled points spread across the island. Because it will be able to carry only a limited inventory, patrons will be able to request books or other materials for when the Bookmobile returns.
The Bookmobile also will cater to vacationers and newcomers, providing a sample of the library’s services and serving as a public relations tool. Anybody will be able to sign up for a library card on board.
A regular schedule for Bookmobile routes and stops is currently under development and will be available on the library website, according to Assistant Library Director Leslie Clarke.
Clarke performed an impromptu children’s puppet show on Wednesday evening, a small sample of the features the Bookmobile could offer as it travels through Ocean City.
The show was part of a brief ceremony and ribbon-cutting led by Library Director Karen Mahar.
