Library will hit the road with its first bookmobile

By sandi carpello
Staff Writer

Library will hit the road
with its first bookmobile
By sandi carpello
Staff Writer

MONROE — Township book lovers who have difficulty getting a ride to the library may soon find the library coming to them.

The establishment of a library bookmobile service is in the works and will be ready to roll by the spring, according to township Library Director Irene Goldberg.

"I am very excited," she said. "Now township residents can have library services closer to home."

In the wake of growing concern that working parents have little time to take their children to the library, Mayor Richard Pucci decided it would be a good idea to bring the library to them, Goldberg said.

The bookmobile service will also be helpful in the township’s adult communities, particularly for seniors who may not have their own transportation, Goldberg said.

The township is paying for the vehicle through the Middlesex County Improvement Authority’s 2002 Capital Equipment Lease Program. The Township Council expects to spend $95,000 on the bookmobile, and is in the process of soliciting bids for the purchase. The council rejected a bid of $104,800 Monday night, saying it came in too high.

The funds for the bookmobile do not include the salaries of three full-time personnel — a driver, librarian and a clerical position.

The 20-foot bookmobile, which is currently being designed by Township Engineer Ernie Feist, bears resemblance to a miniature library, containing roughly 2,500 titles, including children’s books, fiction, non-fiction and best sellers for adults.

Most of the books are strictly for borrowing and "for people who want to come in and browse," Goldberg said.

The bookmobile is unrelated to the library’s volunteer core program, in which volunteers deliver books that have been specifically ordered by residents.

Though the bookmobile will make stops at the retirement communities and the township’s schools, officials are trying to determine other places the service is needed. Actual stops outside the adult communities will be determined by demographics and the number of homes in a certain development.

Although the service is the first of its kind in the township, it has been a success in neighboring communities such as South Brunswick, Piscataway and Edison.

The initial bookmobile schedule calls for four hours of daily on-road service from Monday through Friday.