Bookmobile news round-up

No, seriously, that's your boss? She looks so young! *

• "Mobile Library Festival, Turku 2011" (video)
  The International Mobile Library festival was held in Turku, Findland, last month. Buses from several (Nordic) countries were parked on the banks of Aurajoki River, near a Finnish library boat (gotta watch until the end to see that!)
• "Graying of the gay community - building new kind of library" via GazetteNET.com
  "The Out Books On Wheels, a Northampton-based mobile library created to help LGBT elders “continue enjoying life outside of the closet,” according to its mission statement."
• "Putting literacy on the road" via The Media Online
  Six new bookmobiles are on the road in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa, serving as "multi-purpose mobile libraries that also offer computer and internet access, photocopying facilities, DVDs, CDs and toys. They will also provide a space for storytellers or speakers." In SA, UNESCO estimates that "7.4 and 8.5 million adults are functionally illiterate; between 2.9 and 4.2 million people have never attended school. One million children in South Africa live in a household where no adult can read, [and] just over 50% of South African families own no books for recreational or leisure time reading."
  
• "Bookmobile return overdue?" via the Worcester Telegram
  "Today, in an age when people are a mouse click away from gathering information from the Internet or are reading the latest bestseller on a portable electronic reader, bookmobiles are going the way of the trucks once used to make daily milk deliveries. That might not be the case in Worcester, however, where local book lovers and some city councilors are looking to buck the trend [....] Bookmobile service would be valuable because it is very difficult for many people to get to the library's three branches."
  
• ..... Is it creepy that there is another Ottawa with another Bookmobile? Discuss. "West Ottawa Bookmobile ends 2011 summer season" via The Holland Sentinel
  "“This is as good as it gets. It’s the bomb,” bus driver Robin Veenhoven said. “I get to drive a big bus around with Clifford and ‘Charlotte’s Web’ on it.”"
• Whaddya mean, improving on the bookmobile? "Almost a bookmobile, not quite a library" via Out of the Jungle
  "The Uni Project is a "portable reading room" designed for urban spaces [....] Davol's idea is to improve on the venerable bookmobile by adding features like furniture that encourages community members to hangout and enjoy the books and each other."
• "Volunteer on a Mobile Library in Malawi" via Idealist.org
  The Book Bus mobile library in Malawi visits schools in which "children learn to read by simply repeating what the teachers say, the memorise it, and repeat it again. As you can imagine, not a very insipring way to learn.The book Bus aims to provide children with the resources (fun, colourful storybooks) and the inclination to continue to read. We do this by working with small groups of children in Malawian schools, and practising reading. We also plan fun activities and games around the books to encourage them continue to use the books and persuade them that reading is fun and enjoyable."
• "Book bike will take library for a ride" via Tuscon Velo
  "The Pima County Library is putting a new spin on the book mobile. The newest vehicle in its fleet has one less wheel and a giant sunroof. The library’s new book bike will make its debut this winter."
• "San Francisco Public Library’s Green Bookmobile Visits the Exploratorium’s Front Parking Lot" via the Exploratorium
  Discover "the San Francisco Public Library’s new Green Bookmobile," which "runs on 20 percent biodiesel with a hybrid generator, [is] equipped with 4 solar panels, has skylights for natural light and it is made from sustainably forested wood with recycled content carpet."
  

* (But she did turn 31 last week)