The busy summer outreach season for Dewey – the Ignacio Community Library’s bookmobile – is coming to an end. Dewey recently made its final appearance for the year at the Píinu Núuchi Farmers Market. Library staff Dixie Cook, Dorothy Williams, and Daniel Frauenhoff took the bus to the market every Wednesday to promote library programs, services, and events. They also brought activities including Legos, coloring books, and bubbles, which consistently proved to be popular attractions among the younger crowd.
Dewey made appearances at several special events as well. It was decorated by local kids for the San Ignacio Parade, while library staff handed out candy and popsicles to spectators. The bus was also present at the Green Chili Festival in September to promote upcoming library events.
A recent partnership between the library and Southern Ute Museum has employed the bookmobile for joint outreach. It can be seen cruising around town on select Thursday evenings with newsletters and upcoming program flyers from both institutions. Both library and museum representatives will be on board and available to answer questions. The evening drives will continue as long as the weather cooperates.
But Dewey is more than just an outreach mobile. The bus functions as a completely self-sufficient miniature library, with many of the same capabilities as the permanent location. It carries several hundred books and DVDs on board that can be checked out by anyone with a library card. No card? No problem! The onboard library staff can register anyone for a library card right on the bus. Visitors may also search ICL’s online catalog and place requests for books, DVDs, and other library items. Some senior residents of Arboles took advantage of this service to have their book requests delivered to the TARA Community Center.
Library staff are already looking ahead to the spring season and brainstorming ways to better serve their community. They hope that the bookmobile can help to address one of the library’s greatest challenges: connecting with working parents and local professionals with tight schedules. Even though library programs are designed for everybody, the majority of visitors continue to be retirees and children. Since everybody has a right to this shared public service, staff are eager to improve the accessibility of library programs for working folks. Evening trips on the bookmobile, outside of normal working hours, are just the first step in this new outreach effort.
The library understands the challenges that workers face in their time management. If you have been interested in library services in the past, but were unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict, tell us about it! The bookmobile might be able to help. Call 970-563-9287 if you would like to see Dewey in your area more often.