Not all news is terrible virus news and awful job loss numbers.
Most of it these days sure is – however, amid the host of warnings, dire predictions and protective instructions being put out by local governments lately, on Friday, June 26 the City of High Point announced that a new bookmobile is arriving at the High Point Public Library.
On Tuesday, July 30, High Point Public Library staff will do something other than provide information about virus control. The staff will welcome a brand spanking new, top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art bookmobile that will finally replace the bookmobile that’s served the community for nearly two decades.
The new 30-foot long “mobile library” was built by Matthews Specialty Vehicles in Greensboro.
In early 2020, the High Point community was invited to participate in a contest to design the outer wrap of the bookmobile and the winning submissions were sent in by Peter Nguyen and Kierstin Brackett.
According to the city’s June 26 press release announcing the bookmobile’s arrival, library staff worked with Matthews to design a vehicle that would serve its main audience of more than 50 preschools and daycare centers in High Point. The new mobile library now has materials and modern technology that will allow it to have a much greater impact on the kids it serves.
Jim Zola, the children’s services division manager for the library, said he is anxious to get the bookmobile out to the public.
“We are excited about getting our new mobile library and look forward to reaching out to the community in ways we haven’t been able to in the past,” he said. “We are adding services for the children in daycares, after school programs and daycare centers that will allow children to experience new technologies that they otherwise might have missed.”
The bookmobile will also represent the library when the city’s annual Holiday Parade rolls around later this year. It will do the same at other community events as well.
This project was paid for in part by a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant with matching funding from the City of High Point. The LSTA grant program is administered by the State Library of North Carolina and funds library projects across the state. The program’s directive is to fund projects that “advance excellence and promote equity by strengthening capacity, expanding access and community engagement in North Carolina’s libraries.”
