Bookmobile rolls into 60th year

<p>Patrons browse the shelves of the Daniel Boone Regional Library Bookmobile in Auxvasse. The program is now in its 60th year. Driver Darin Fugit said the library tries to refresh the bookmobile’s stock frequently. (Helen Wilbers/FULTON SUN photo)</p>

Patrons browse the shelves of the Daniel Boone Regional Library Bookmobile in Auxvasse. The program is now in its 60th year. Driver Darin Fugit said the library tries to refresh the bookmobile’s stock frequently. (Helen Wilbers/FULTON SUN photo)

AUXVASSE, Mo. - Auxvasse resident Sherry Martin remembers how exciting it was to receive a visit from the bookmobile as a child.

"When I was a kid in school, we didn't have a library," she said. "The bookmobile came once a month. Each month, 10 kids from each class went to pick out 10 books apiece."

Each student would take turns reading those 100 books until the bookmobile returned, she said.

That was 50 years ago. Martin still visits the bookmobile almost every time it's in town.

The Daniel Boone Regional Library's bookmobile program is celebrating its 60th anniversary this month.

"The bookmobiles were introduced in Mid-Missouri to push library services out into the counties, and the need for that is as true today as it was 60 years ago," said Sarah Howard, youth and community services manager for DBRL. "Even though use of the library's digital services continues to grow, many people still enjoy holding a book in their hand."

How it got rolling

In 1957, the Missouri State Library funded a bookmobile at what was then the Columbia Public Library. It held books, phonograph records, art and films, and during its first outing, eager visitors checked out 1,146 books.

In 1959, library districts in Columbia, Boone County, Callaway County and Howard County unified to form DBRL and keep the bookmobile rolling. Howard County is now its own entity.

Nowadays, patrons check out around 75,000 books per year.

"These communities we come out to don't necessarily have a large library that they can come out to," bookmobile driver Darin Fugit said during a stop in Auxvasse last week. "It's more convenient for them."

Not everyone in the county has reliable transportation and gas money to drive to the Callaway County Public Library, or a library in Columbia or Jefferson City, he explained. That's why the bookmobile stops in Holts Summit and Auxvasse twice a month, along with several locations in Boone County. A second, smaller bookmobile serves other areas.

For some, visiting the bookmobile is more convenient. These days, library patrons can reserve books online and pick them up from the bookmobile during its stop. Last week, Fugit had 61 reserved books onboard.

Rebecca Rose and three of her children made the trek from Mexico to pick up their books.

"We homeschool, and the Columbia library has a lot of the books we need," Rose said. "About a year and a half ago, I happened to be in Columbia and they mentioned that the bookmobile made stops in Auxvasse. That's a much shorter drive for us."

Her oldest daughter, Alanna, 14, made a beeline for the fiction section.

"I read just about everything, from fairy books to whatever," she said.

She ultimately left with three books, including a recent release titled "Sandwiches!"

"I think it's just really cool to have the library bookmobile," Alanna said.

The large bookmobile holds about 4,000 items, including books, books on CD, DVDs and magazines. There's everything from cookbooks to bestselling nonfiction and graphic novels.

"We try to (stock) things from the last year, because a lot of our customers are repeat customers," Fugit said. "We have regulars at each stop."

Over time, he said, the regulars and drivers develop friendships. He's only been driving the bookmobile for four months but already recognizes many faces.

One of his predecessors, Tim Dollens, said he drove the bookmobile from 1988-2001 (he still works for DBRL). He helped design its current incarnation, with its wheelchair lift, two checkout counters and slanted shelves; and it seems he knows just about everyone on the route.

"I enjoy my patrons and working with the public," he said.

He remembers one older woman named Keith Zumwalt, who often checked out books for herself and her friends.

"One day we were like, 'Keith is an unusual first name,'" he said. "She said, 'Oh, my father wanted a boy.'"

In another memorable incident, one of his regulars told him she and her husband were having a baby - before she'd told her own grandparents.

Dollens remembers how excited people were to see the bookmobile arrive, especially children.

"It's like seeing the postman coming - you hope they'll have something for you," he said.

He said the bookmobile is just as important today as it was when he drove it.

"We have more holds than ever," he said. "And given that it provides a library branch for each community every two weeks, the cost is not that much."

DBRL Director Melissa Carr agrees.

"The library's new strategic plan outlines plans to add visits to other under served areas over the next three years," she said.