“Parade of Bookmobiles” to take place during ALA Annual Conference
Contacts:
Macey Morales
ALA Media Relations
312-280-4393
mmorales@ala.org
Jennifer Petersen
ALA Media Relations
312-280-5043
jpetersen@ala.org
For Immediate Release
June 19, 2007
“Parade of Bookmobiles” to take place during
ALA Annual Conference
(CHICAGO) The American Library Association (ALA), through its Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS), will hold its “Parade of Bookmobiles” during the ALA Annual Conference on Tuesday, June 26, 2007. This event will feature bookmobiles making their way from the Washington Conference Center to Franklin Square at Eye and 13th Streets.
Once at Franklin Square, the bookmobiles will be open to the public for pictures and tours from 11:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. Bookmobile staff will be on hand to answer questions and to discuss the importance of mobile outreach services.
Like libraries, bookmobiles continue to change with the times.
Patrons can search the Web, read a newspaper or magazine, take a computer class, participate in story hours, or checkout a book or DVD.
“The bookmobile continues to be a vital service connecting isolated rural communities,” said Satia Orange, director of OLOS.
“The parade provides us with an opportunity to showcase libraries’ ability to reach
rural and other communities where access to library facilities is a challenge.”
Members of Congress will also have an opportunity to tour a bookmobile. The Cleveland Public Library Bookmobile will visit both sides of the Capitol building, and will be open for viewing by House members from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m, east curb of South Capitol Street, between C St. and D St., SE., and Senate members from 1 – 5 p.m.
Bookmobiles most often serve communities of diverse, traditionally underserved populations in rural and urban communities, who rely on mobile library services. Yet, raising gas prices and federal budget cuts have caused libraries to make difficult fiscal decisions, often resulting in the cancellation of bookmobile programs, limiting service hours, cutting staff, or reducing funding for material.
“Parade of Bookmobiles” is made possible by
a sponsorship from Thomson Scientific, and will coincide with the ALA’s “Day on the Hill,” an advocacy effort to promote the value of U.S. Libraries to our Nation’s leaders.
Parade bookmobiles include: Cultural Exchange, Cleveland, Ohio; Adams County Library, Gettysburg, Pa; Harford County Public Library, Bel Air, Md.; Maryland Correctional Education Library, Baltimore, Md.; Jefferson‑Madison Regional Library, Charlottesville, Va; Burlington County Library System, Westampton, N.J.; Bibliotheca Inc RFID Library System, Yardley, Pa; District of Columbia Public Library, Washington, D.C.; Wicomico Public Library, Salisbury, Md.; Washington County Free Library, Hagerstown, Md.
For more information on the ALA – the voice of America’s libraries – and its Annual Conference, please visit
www.ala.org/annual. For information on the Association of Bookmobile & Outreach Services, please visit
http://www.abos-outreach.org/.