Branching out: Lincoln Library moves in right direction with new bookmobile

Ward 8 Ald. Erin Conley said she has always been a library person.

When she was raising her kids, Lincoln Library's North Branch on North Grand Avenue was "our neighborhood library," Conley said.

As an alderwoman, she said "a frequent theme in Ward 8 has been mourning the loss of our branch library," the West Branch formerly at 1251 W. Washington St., which since has been bulldozed.

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So there was plenty of enthusiasm on Conley's behalf as the full city council gave the nod Dec. 20 for the purchase of a nearly $482,000 bookmobile that will have the capability of transporting some 3,500 items.

With a diesel hybrid engine, the bookmobile is expected to arrive sometime in late 2023, said Summer Beck-Griffith, the director of Lincoln Library.

It will travel to all 10 wards in the city regularly and have a full-time staff tending to it.

"We're really excited about getting this done," she said. "This has been a project since Will O'Hearn had been director (of the library from 2017 to 2019). I called Will (about this) early on. It's a huge lift.

“Quality libraries are the sort of things that keep families and people engaged in a city. This is a big move in the right direction to show Springfield how a vibrant and thriving library can impact their daily lives."

Beck-Griffith said it is the first major expansion of services in decades.

The library wants to think of the bookmobile as "a mobile branch," Beck-Griffith acknowledged.

"The library has been without a branch since (2010). This is incredibly cost effective as opposed to brick-and-mortar branches," she said.

The last of those branches were the West Branch and the Southeast Branch at 2500 So. Grand Ave. E. Both were eliminated due to funding.

The North Branch closed in 2005 because of mold problems in the building.

The bookmobile will feature two computer terminals, free Wi-Fi, mobile programming and a collection of 3,500 books, DVDs, hotspots, audiobooks and other material. It will be fully accessible by a wheelchair ramp.

Beck-Griffith said the bookmobile, actually a Freightliner MT55, will work like a normal hybrid car, so while it is running, the battery will charge. A person won't need a commercial driver's license to operate it, she added.

Lincoln Library expanded outreach services earlier in 2022, adding regular pop-up library events in Wards 2, 3 and 4. A library outreach specialist was funded by a temporary grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to staff the events, but that grant is up in February, Beck-Griffith pointed out.

Since May, the library has hosted over 100 outreach and pop-up library events, engaging with almost 3,000 people, she added.

One of three positions Beck-Griffith said she will be requesting is an outreach manager, who can take over the pop-ups after the grants person leaves in February. The manager, she said, would be focused on "everything outside of the corridors of Seventh Street."

Beck-Griffith said she hoped the bookmobile had another added effect: addressing students' slumping literacy rates due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The bookmobile would be able to reach students where they are and emphasize the joy and importanceof literacy, she said.

“With only 22% of kids reading at grade level (from kindergarten to eighth grade), access to books and literacy programming is absolutely vital for our community,” said Beck-Griffith. "Our district cannot do it alone and I've been in touch with administrators there about how we can get this done."

Mayor Jim Langfelder said while the pandemic was one of the things that brought the idea to the forefront, Beck-Griffith's initiative saw the plan through.

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"That's why I appointed (her as director) because she's a go-getter and sinks her teeth into things and really shows the why and how we can get it done," he said. "(The bookmobile) raises the level of awareness of library services whether they're in the library or outside."

Conley was likewise hopeful the bookmobile can draw greater attention to the downtown facility.

"When you walk into our library, we have activities. We have crafts. We have community space. We have a lot of great books and a staff that is passionate about what they do and care deeply about the work they do and the services they provide," she said. "I think the bookmobile is going to be yet another way for that (enthusiasm) to move into our neighborhoods and then hopefully make stronger connections so people start heading downtown."

Contact Steven Spearie at 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com or twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Springfield city council gives funding for library bookmobile