cincylibrary: “In 1927 the library initiated its ‘book wagon’ service, thereby exp
cincylibrary: “In 1927 the library initiated its ‘book wagon’ service, thereby expanding its outreach not only to deposit stations, but county schools, ‘book stops’ in villages and even country crossroads. By 1940, the Library operated three bookmobiles that were large enough for patrons to select books inside, eliminating many of the difficulties of winter service to remote areas… The first wagons were one-ton trucks with custom-made glass doors on the outside that swung up to reveal more books in one place than many country people had ever seen. Each one came with a librarian, a profession even rarer in country parts… Bookmobile service grew steadily after WWII as the county population exploded. Only in 1988 did a network of new suburban branches and a new rural mobility undercut the need for Bookmobiles.“ -John Fleischman, Free & Public: One Hundred and Fifty Years at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County 1853-2003 -- source link
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