The New York Public Library is going mobile.
For the first time in decades, the library is launching bookmobiles to bring books and materials to New Yorkers on their streets.
The program is currently being tested, and library officials expect a loaded bookmobile to be driving through the Bronx by June. The Bronx’s Grand Concourse Library is undergoing a $4 million capital project and will be closed for at least a year.
Two additional bookmobiles, capable of carrying up to 1,000 books each, will be circulating by the fall.
“We are so excited to roll out the next generation of New York Public Library Bookmobiles, which will allow us to take our books and services on the road and directly to New Yorkers in communities across our system,” New York Public Library Interim Chief Branch Library Officer Caryl Matute said in a statement. “One of the best parts of being a librarian is engaging with New Yorkers, and this mobile library will give us new opportunities to do just that.”
Two employees will staff each bookmobile. They will be parked near senior centers, schools and other areas allowing patrons to check out and return books, as well as sign up for library cards.
