The new bookmobile goes into action

By Orion Wright

On Saturday August 14, book lovers from across the county gathered at the Fairborn Community Library to help dedicate the latest asset to the Greene County public library system: its brand new bookmobile. During the afternoon, more than 200 people came to explore the bookmobile, which will bring books on all topics to thousands of children in Greene County each month.

The dedication event marked the culmination of a multi-year effort. Replacing a beloved older model that served the community for two decades, the new bookmobile had been in service for almost a month when it opened.

The dedication event served to honor the bookmobile with an official launch, including a ribbon cutting, food trucks and many activities for the kids. Throughout the event, kids made buttons, assembled 3D paper models of the bookmobile and colorful masks of the library’s mascot, Booker T. Fox.

“Our goal has always been to spread literacy while having fun,” said Stacy Westfall, the driver and manager of the bookmobile.

Young readers should have no trouble spotting the new bookmobile thanks to its visual design, conceived by artistic director and designer Liz Stolter Robertson and illustrator Wakka Ciccone, both of Yellow Springs. As they ride the oversized bus, the youngest library patrons can see a series of surreal, dreamlike vignettes – here, a princess riding a dragon passes a soccer ball to a robotic receiver; there, a mummy and a zombie jump a hot rod from a stack of books.

According to Greene County Public Library communications coordinator Evan Scott, the bookmobile – and, for that matter, the entire library system – is a matter of the imagination.

“The real eye-opener was that there really is no way to represent the imagination – it’s too broad,” Scott said.

Instead of representing the imagination, Scott said the creative team realized that the bookmobile itself should be imaginative. The mural on the exterior of the vehicle is a sample of the subjects in which library staff have observed that young readers most often express interest. The artwork is meant to inspire children to pick up a book by reminding them of the types of adventures hidden within its pages.

Kim Bautz, the library’s youth services coordinator and bookmobile supervisor, said the design company that provided the bookmobile’s graphic design had never seen anything like it before.

“It’s one thing when you see it on paper,” Bautz said, “but then you see it in person, and it’s like, ‘wow!’

Jans Pasma, Chief Designer of Applied Graphics Ltd., said: “We have worked with hundreds of bookmobiles across the country, and this one will raise the bar for others. “

In addition to a creative new look, the bookmobile also includes a number of accessibility and safety features, such as a wheelchair lift, wider steps and non-slip floors. Westfall said she hopes these improvements will allow more children to experience the benefits of reading.

“We reach a lot of kids who don’t or can’t make it to the library on their own,” Westfall said. “Getting the books into children’s hands is the goal. “

Inside the bookmobile, the walls are lined with stories of all kinds, a real mobile library. The dashboard of the bookmobile is reminiscent of the cockpit of an airliner, equipped with an intercom system.

In an average month, the library’s bookmobiles have historically served some 4,000 to 5,000 children. In addition to bringing books to schools, daycares and summer camps, Greene County Public Library Executive Director Karl Colón said the bookmobile is the link between communities in Greene County .

“Libraries don’t belong to a place, they belong to a community,” he said. “And there are few things that show it as clearly as the bookmobile. The bookmobile is a real piece of physical library that will come to find you wherever you are.

Library management also hopes to expand the role of mascot Booker T. Fox in communications and media. Originally represented only by the mascot costume, the likeness of Booker T. Fox now adorns the bookmobile in several places.

Colón said the Greene County Public Library looks forward to the many years of future service from the new bookmobile.

“We want a bus where our community can see each other,” he said. “With a new bus we have the opportunity to try to figure out what story to tell.”

* Wright is a Freelance News Writer who graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 2019 and now runs Studio Passerine. He lives in the village and can be reached at [email protected].