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64 Years Ago

County Launches First Bookmobile

For more than 50 years, Loudoun County's public libraries took books directly to patrons around the county who, for various reasons, were unable to get to a library – people who were elderly, homebound, or lived in remote locations. The service began in 1943 with the purchase of a 1940 blue Chevrolet panel truck for use as the county's first Bookmobile. The vehicle’s sides opened to display the books and make them accessible to patrons. Jean Carruthers, who later served as head librarian at the Purcellville Library, was the first driver. At that time, the Bookmobile carried about 300 books to 40 stops throughout the county, including schools, post offices, churches, homes and "deposit stations." An article in the Loudoun Times-Mirror in December 1943 referred to the "mobile book unit, or traveling library," which traversed the county bimonthly on scheduled routes. Within a year after its launch, the Bookmobile's circulation exceeded 900 books per month.

The county's fifth and last Bookmobile, in 1989.

Over the years, five different vehicles served as Loudoun's Bookmobile. The last was purchased for $94,682 and was launched in April 1989. It carried 3,300 books, tapes and magazines, and made 30 stops around the county every two weeks, serving mostly elderly patrons. The Bookmobile's service ended in 1996; however, the public service career of the last Bookmobile was not over. The Loudoun County Sheriff's Office retrofitted the 1989 vehicle to serve as its mobile headquarters. It served in that capacity until 2006, when the Sheriff's Office replaced it with a new, state of the art mobile command unit. Today, the Loudoun County Public Library operates the mobile van Outreach Services as a resource for those who cannot easily access branch services.

This is one of a series of weekly releases from the Loudoun County Office of Public Information highlighting landmark events in the Loudoun County government during its 250-year history.


Sources:

Loudoun Times-Mirror Loudoun Gazette
Loudoun County Employee Newsletter Loudoun County Public Library
Loudoun County Sheriff's Office

Image: Loudoun County’s fifth and last Bookmobile, in 1989; photograph by Jim Barnes