Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
The Linn Library League Bookmobile is parked but it’s not sitting empty.
The vehicle is now serving as Halsey’s city library.
The league operated the Bookmobile for four years “to introduce library services to people that have never had it,” said Linda Ziedrich of the Linn Library League. “It was also publicizing what we were trying to do.”
Originally hoping to place a measure to create a countywide library district on the 2008 general election ballot, league officials decided earlier this year to hold off until 2010 following what they believed was a negative response to the district by the Albany City Council.
The Albany City Council approved putting the district on the ballot, but league officials felt the council did not support the district, Ziedrich said.
The cities of Sweet Home, Lebanon and other Linn County cities approved placing the district on the 2008 ballot, but Halsey had not had the opportunity yet, Ziedrich said, although the Halsey council reportedly supported the formation of the district.
“The Halsey community has really enjoyed having the Bookmobile there,” Ziedrich said. “We first thought of Halsey because it’s the largest city without a library,”
Halsey agreed to take it as a stationary library, she said, and it was taken to Halsey in early June.
Halsey also received all the books, the computer and the cataloging and checkout software, including books held in storage for the Bookmobile.
In the last week of Bookmobile service last spring, every child was given a book. After ending the service, Ziedrich said, books that had been borrowed from the Scio Public Library were returned.
The Bookmobile had a collection of more than 5,000 books, and it carried approximately 3,000.
The vehicle is older and in need of repairs and maintenance to keep it on the road, Ziedrich said, so it is unlikely to serve as a mobile library again.
The league is moving forward for the 2010 election, she said, “but that vehicle probably won’t have any role in that campaign because it is old and expensive to run.”
A Lacomb man, Scott Bruslin, “loved the bookmobile and wants to keep it running in whatever way possible,” Ziedrich said. He has talked to House District 17 Rep. Sherrie Sprenger and is seeking ways to keep it running to other communities at least one day a week.
The Bookmobile title was held by the city of Lebanon, Ziedrich said, and Lebanon has been asked to turn it over to Halsey.
The district will need time to get on its feet if it is approved by Linn County voters, Ziedrich said. It will take about a year after the formation and election of a board before the district has money.
It will take at least that long before the district might be able to begin a new bookmobile service.
The bookmobile started in spring 2004 and operated until this year on a $25,000 annual grant from the Meyer Memorial Trust with some funds from a Library Services and Technology Act grant.