It has been quite the year.
I can guarantee 2020 is a year I will not forget — no matter how bad I might want to. It has been a roller coaster for the library, and more specifically, the Bookmobile. As roller coasters go, there have been a lot of ups and downs.
I want to focus on those ups.
Early in the year, we welcomed a new face on the Bookmobile. Margaret Pflueger jumped right in and began learning everything there is to know. By March, she was cruising along and adding her creative touch along the way. That was just in time to park the Bookmobile and stay home.
Once the library started slowly opening up, we focused on delivering books to those that could not make it to the library. We bagged up the materials and left them on the front porch of the houses we delivered to.
Starting in July, the Bookmobile was back on the road. We found ways to make it safe for everyone to come in and pick out their books and movies. It was great to start seeing everyone’s faces again, even if they were covered.
Now we are back to contact-free porch deliveries. Technically, we call this a home-bound service. Normally this means we are coming to anyone that cannot get to the library due to medical or transportation issues. Right now, this also includes the very valid reason of not feeling comfortable getting out and around people.
If you want materials from the library to be delivered to you, there are a lot of ways to make that happen. You can search our system and put books on hold yourself. If you select the option for Bookmobile pickup location, they will be sent to us. You can also email or call us directly and let us know which books you want. Once we have your books, we will give you a call to set up a delivery time.
Don’t know what books you want? We can pick them out for you.
Again, just email or call us, let us know what kind of books you like and how many you want, and we’ll find some for you. You can call us at (812)379-1278 or email us at [email protected] to get that started.
This service is for any age. We have been delivering to babies all the way up to patrons in their 90s. From board books to Large Print books, audio books to music CDs, and now even our Book Bundles, we deliver it all. We have even been known to throw a special treat in the bag.
I genuinely hope we are back on a regular Bookmobile schedule in January. Check our website for the most current schedule information, or give us a call. Even once the Bookmobile is running, the pandemic is over, and 2020 is a distant memory, we will gladly continue to deliver materials to any person that needs us to. Let us hope that time comes soon.
Bartholomew County Public Library Outreach Manager Valerie Baute can be reached at [email protected]
