What is a good alternative to Bookmobile services?

My library has been experimenting with alternatives to bookmobiles. I need to find a good solution for patrons who have high demand needs. How do you provide outreach service to patrons who expect the latest bestsellers? How do you maintain it?

jdscott50

circulation
public-libraries

Comments

KatieR: What is it about bookmobiles that aren't satisfying the needs of your patrons? What defines a "good" alternative?
jdscott50: Bookmobiles are expensive to operate and to repair. Many libraries are discontinuing it for alternatives. Good simply means, you've seen or done it, and it worked rather than just throwing out an idea.
Joe: I've wondered why we typically have bookmobiles from converted buses -- if you were to use a trailer instead, you could have two tow vehicles, which you could use for other purposes or rotate out for servicing. The only minor problem is it's a different skill to back up a vehicle with a trailer.
jdscott50: Some libraries have done that. The problem is with the vehicle needed and a special driver's license. It just seems like it's time to shift services to make libraries more ubiquitous. How do we do that?
andrea: It seems then that the question is more about how to make libraries more ubiquitous, rather than focusing on bookmobiles. Or, to avoid - if wanted - discussion about ebooks etc here, how to make physical library goods more readily available to users?
jdscott50: You are right, but had I said that the responses could go all over the map.
Ben Companjen: I recently found the project description of the Internet Archive's BookMobile, which prints out-of-copyright books on demand on location. That is not what this is about, is it?

Answer by Peter Murray

Alternatives that I can think of include automated vending machines and small branches in high-traffic areas like malls.

Comments

jdscott50: Thank you Peter. We've been using the vending machines for a while and we like them a lot. I would like to see more services like this with a different variety and I am trying to track down which ones exist.

Answer by Helgagrace

I've worked at two public libraries with different solutions to this problem:

The first has an outreach vehicle (a Subaru Forester owned and maintained by the library) and corresponding librarian who visits homebound patrons on a daily basis and is familiar with their reading tastes to the extent that she places holds on items for them. This service only extends to patrons living within the city limits, and it's a city of about 40,000.

The second has a program called Library in Your Mailbox, in which homebound patrons (primarily the elderly, but anyone who is legitimately homebound may participate) receive shipments of books through the US postal service. Because of the slow rate of the mail, we do not usually send recent bestsellers or "hot" items through this service, because they often end up being returned late and have holds waiting. The service is run largely by volunteers who select the books based on subscribers' tastes, and supervised by a member of the reference staff.

The downside of both of these services is that it can be difficult to retrieve materials once they have gone out, but the upside is definitely the ability to provide regular library services to patrons who aren't able to visit the library, without having to maintain something so cumbersome as a bookmobile. However, the cost of gas and maintenance is still an issue. But if the goal is to provide services to patrons/members/users outside the library, I think either of these might work for a library that could stand the start-up costs and staff time.

Comments

jdscott50: Thank you for the variety in your answer. We've been using book machines, but I wanted to see what other libraries have been doing.

Answer by arb

This doesn't touch on as large of a scale as a bookmobile, but in the last year our public library has introduced a bookbike.

The book bike goes to areas that do not have easy library access to provide material, and local festivals and other public events to promote library services. Right now, they give away the material thanks to a grant, but I could see a service like this used on a regular route and treated like a traditional bookmobile.

Comments

Answer by Amanda W

My library has an outreach program similar to the one mentioned by Helgagrace. The librarian (at the moment, me) has a route of homebound adults and retirement/nursing facilities. Each individual or facility is visited once a month using a county station wagon. Many patrons put in requests for items they want, and I also pick books for them based on their tastes. At many of the facilities I'll take a small browsing selection each month. Our library has a small designated collection for this purpose as well, primarily as a way to circulate high demand best-sellers to this patron group.