1899: More than twenty-five hundred traveling collections in the U.S. (Traveling collections were boxes of books delivered to rural residents)
April 1905: Mary Titcomb of Washington County Free Library in Hagerstown, Maryland, sent the first book wagon to various locations 1912: First motorized bookmobiles came to be and extended transportation of books beyond rural areas to include local schools and senior centers 1915: Motorized bookmobiles became the trend with walk-in space and shelves of books inside 1916: Bookstores also saw the need to provide books to those unable to travel 1930s: Approximately 60 bookmobiles nationwide 1956: Library Services Act of 1956 expanded bookmobile services to reach more than 30 million people in rural communities 1960s: Additional legislation that extended government funding and services to urban areas fueled the popularity of bookmobiles 1970s: The U.S. bookmobile population grew to approximately 2,000 1990-2003: 20% decline in bookmobiles 2004: Bookmobiles numbered at only 844 in the U.S. |
|
Video Produced by VOA News
Information from:
"A History of the Bookmobile." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
"Bookmobile History." The Bookmobile. NYU, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
Casey, Genevieve M (Ed.). Library trends: Federal aid to libraries: Its history, impact, future. University of Illinois Graduate School of Library Science, 1975.
Fry, James Wilson. LSA and LSCA, 1956-1973: A legislative history. University of Illinois Graduate School of Library Science, 1975.
VOA News. "Library on Wheels - From Wagons to Buses." YouTube. YouTube, 28 Apr. 2008. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
"A History of the Bookmobile." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
"Bookmobile History." The Bookmobile. NYU, n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.
Casey, Genevieve M (Ed.). Library trends: Federal aid to libraries: Its history, impact, future. University of Illinois Graduate School of Library Science, 1975.
Fry, James Wilson. LSA and LSCA, 1956-1973: A legislative history. University of Illinois Graduate School of Library Science, 1975.
VOA News. "Library on Wheels - From Wagons to Buses." YouTube. YouTube, 28 Apr. 2008. Web. 15 Apr. 2015.