On the road: Sarasota County Libraries is getting its own mobile library
A mobile library van will soon be hopping around Sarasota County, delivering books and library services to local residents.
Sarasota County Libraries has bought a Ford Transit van which will function as a pop-up library. Renee Di Pilato, director of Sarasota County Libraries and Historical Resources, said the van will allow the library system to reach more neighborhoods and communities.
“In my opinion, having the mobile service is a really fantastic way to reach the entire county,” Di Pilato said.
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Sarasota County has ordered the van, but officials don't know the arrival date yet. They plan to customize the van, including by adding a lift gate and appropriate branding. Di Pilato is hoping that the pop-up library will hit the road in the fall.
She told county commissioners in mid-April that the mobile service will allow library staff to visit areas such as Laurel, Myakka and Longboat Key, which don’t have their own libraries. They could also travel to senior centers, day-care centers, parks, beaches and other sites across the county.
Di Pilato said the van will offer people “pretty much anything that you can get from a regular library building” – including books, CDs, story times and even the ability to sign up for a library card.
“One of the other neat things that we’ll make sure the vehicle has is a powerful hotspot,” she said. If the vehicle is in a park, for example, people there will be able to connect to the van’s WiFi.
On April 12, county commissioners approved a budget amendment that appropriates $128,527 for the mobile library service and associated staff. The Library Foundation for Sarasota County is going to donate an amount equal to the cost of the van, according to a county document.
Commissioner Ron Cutsinger said during the April 12 meeting that the pop-up library “makes perfect sense.”
“I think there’s so many things that this can do – not only getting out to Myakka and Longboat, but all the other events around the county that we do, different areas,” he said. “It gets the name out there. It makes the libraries more visible and accessible. I think it’s a great solution.”
Anne Snabes covers city and county government for the Herald-Tribune. You can contact her at asnabes@gannett.com or (941) 228-3321 and follow her on Twitter at @a_snabes.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota County's new library van will provide books, other services
