Iowa City could have bookmobile by next spring

IOWA CITY - As a community grows, residents in outlying neighborhoods traditionally see a branch library open up nearby, ensuring all have easy access to literature and services.

While officials in Iowa City - the largest community in the state without a branch library - don't intend on adding another library building, they do have plans to bring the books to the neighborhoods with a bookmobile.

'We're challenged by that, while branches are wonderful, they're costly in a time when the city is trying to be fiscally responsible and they're also stationary,” said Robin Paetzold, president of the Iowa City Public Library's board of trustees. 'We realized a bookmobile would be the most effective way to reach out to multiple communities with a minimal cost ... This is an opportunity to take the library into the communities.”

Kara Logsden, ICPL community and access services coordinator, said the idea for a bookmobile spawned from the library's latest strategic planning process - which included public surveys, consulting services and focus groups - that found many Iowa Citians expressing a desire for library services outside of downtown.

So instead of building a branch library that will only reach some neighborhoods and leave others still lacking in nearby services, the bookmobile will be able to visit all of Iowa City.

'The beauty of the bookmobile is it's mobile, it can go to different places,” Logsden said.

The Iowa City Council last year approved $100,000 in capital improvement funds to help the library's Friends Foundation - which will pitch in an estimated $150,000 - to purchase a custom bookmobile.

This year's budget discussions include a line item to add a new full-time position and the library plans to bump a part-time position up to full-time to staff the bookmobile. All told, staffing, maintenance and other costs for the bookmobile should come in at about $98,000.

While bringing books to the community - residents will be able to request and reserve books and have them delivered to their neighborhoods - is a main focus, the bookmobile also will include access to other services and encourage reading among residents of all ages.

Paetzold said bookmobiles in other communities range from vans to full-sized buses and it isn't determined what Iowa City's vehicle will look like, but it will be a custom project.

'We're looking at a setting where people can get in and browse the books, but we still get into residential areas without being a problem,” she said. 'We want it designed for our functions and our climate so we can use it all year-round.”

Tracy Briseno, customer account services manager with Ames Public Library, said the city of Ames is actually on bookmobile No. 4, which can carry between 3,000 and 3,500 books, CDs or DVDs and audiobooks, and has been providing the mobile library service for 50 years.

'We are not big enough to need a branch, but this allows us to serve customers a further distance from the library,” she said. 'The bookmobile is also a huge promotional tool for us in the community.”

Susan Craig, ICPL director, said it will take time to acquire and customize the vehicle, but residents could see a bookmobile on their block as soon as next year.

'Out hit-the-road date for the bookmobile is March 2017,” she said.