Some of her patrons use the Bookmobile as a school library. The trips in her library's nine-county region are also a way to resupply small libraries. Swapping of books is especially important for large-print readers whose choices are always limited, she said. Bookmobiles are not limited to rural Tennessee. The Nashville Public Library Bookmobile contains 3,000 volumes and makes weekly and biweekly visits to schools and traditional Bookmobile stops in 30 locations.
People can reserve books right there in the truck.
People who enter the Bookmobile don't have access to just 3,000 books but all 800,000 books available in the library system. It is just like a branch library only smaller and on wheels. While the future of state-funded Bookmobiles may be uncertain, Reese said the Nashville library is committed to keeping the Nashville Bookmobile on the road. There will always be people who just cannot get to the library. Gleaves said Memphis Bookmobiles may suggest a future.