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As service grows, Marion Public Library bookmobile is ‘finding its groove’
The mobile service expanded its routes this summer, prompting a spike in popularity
Sep. 2, 2025 5:30 am, Updated: Sep. 2, 2025 7:36 am
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MARION — Measuring 32 feet long, the Marion Public Library’s bookmobile is hard to miss.
The brightly colored vehicle can be spotted throughout the week in city parks, outside local businesses or at the Marion YMCA. It boasts a catalog of roughly 3,000 books with the goal of serving readers of all ages.
This summer, the relatively new amenity has experienced a surge in popularity thanks to growing community awareness and a recent route expansion. Now, local leaders are turning their attention to what’s next.
“We’re trying to find our groove right now,” said Bob Reynolds, Marion Public Library patron services manager. “The biggest thing is to just get as much patron feedback as we can as we shift our service levels” to meet their needs.
The library launched its bookmobile in mid-December to increase community outreach efforts and connect underserved residents with library offerings. In its first six months of operation, bookmobile patrons checked out 1,371 materials.
Nearly half those checkouts occurred in June, according to a six-month update recently provided to Marion City Council members. The spike coincides with an increase in operating hours following a substantial route expansion.
In June, the bookmobile transitioned from a twice-a-week schedule to its current four-day schedule. The routes also expanded to add new locations based on population density, stop visibility and geographic data around library usage.
Current Bookmobile Route
The Marion Public Library currently has stops across the community on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at the following locations:
- Mondays from 9 a.m. to noon at Lowe Park, 4500 N. 10th St., and from 1 to 4 p.m. at Taube Park, 2200 31st St.
- Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon at the Marion YMCA, 3740 Irish Dr., and 1 to 4 p.m. at Thomas Park, 343 Marion Blvd.
- Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon at K9 Acres Off-Leash Dog Park, 5200 Golf Course Rd., and from 1 to 4 p.m. at Dupaco Community Credit Union, 5970 Carlson Way.
- Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon at the Marion Pool/Willowood Park, 1855 35th St., and from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Azure Apartments, 600 Bentley Dr.
Any future route changes will be posted to the Marion Public Library website at marionpubliclibrary.org/bookmobile.
That staggered expansion strategy aligns with the bookmobile's long-term growth plan, which Reynolds described as a “crawl, walk, run” approach.
Early operations focused on getting staff comfortable with the vehicle and raising community awareness. Staff then used early takeaways to help draft new routes and operating procedures for continued growth.
“This project has truly been a team Marion project, seeing public and private dollars invested in our community,” said Library Director Bill Carroll, noting the public-private partnerships that helped cover the project’s $400,000 upstart cost.
Reynolds said any future bookmobile route changes will be similarly data-driven with a particular focus on reaching portions of the community with lower recorded rates of library card usage.
The plan is to add a fifth operating day in 2026 with a focus on adding stops in high-population areas such as senior living centers and mobile home parks, and staff also intend to pursue grant funding to purchase laptops for patron use.
The bookmobile also could be used for mobile library programming, Reynolds noted, such as neighborhood story times or other educational events.
“I think we’re going to see a lot bigger numbers within the next six months (as we reach) a full year of service,” Reynolds said. “All of our stops have been successful. We’ve just been rearranging to make sure those opportunities fit with our schedule.”
Comments: grace.nieland@thegazette.com
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