The Bookmobile hits the road weekly, leaving the garage first thing each Monday morning to begin making daily stops. On the weekend the Bookmobile continues to be in high demand. The Library on wheels is a popular guest at community events, festivals, street fairs, and parades- making appearances in Dayton, Kettering, Huber Heights, West Carrollton, Miamisburg, Englewood, Vandalia, and as far out as Brookville, and New Lebanon. In 2024 the Bookmobile made 505 stops, had 19,102 visitors climb aboard, circulated 31,121 children’s books, and participated in 20 community events. With all that driving the odometer currently sits at 128,055 miles!
The Bookmobile is operated and maintained by the dedicated and passionate staff of Dayton Metro Library’s Outreach Services Department. In addition to the Bookmobile, Outreach Services has Home Library Services delivery, providing book delivery to patrons who are unable to visit a branch location due to illness or a physical disability and a pop-up library, or Lobby Stop Library Service, servicing nursing homes and older adult living communities. These services allow patrons the ability to independently check out books on-site without having to travel to a library location.
To increase access to library resources for minority, disadvantaged, and new residents, Outreach Services staff carefully schedules all Bookmobile, Lobby Stop, and Home Library routes to provide equitable library access to all patrons in the community. The department’s Children’s Librarian takes great care in creating a school year and summer Bookmobile schedule that includes visits to all areas of Montgomery County and Lobby Stop locations are also always carefully considered. Home Library deliveries are made anywhere where a patron lives within the library’s service area – the department currently delivers to 420 patrons in houses, apartments, nursing homes, and independent and other living communities.
For over 100 years the Dayton Metro Library Outreach Services Department has been meeting people where they are to ensure that the library is available when and where people need us. From story time to delivering books to a patron’s door, we are a direct bridge from the library to the communities we serve. We look forward to continuing this tradition for 100 years more.
For information about accessing Outreach Services call 937-463-2665 or visit DaytonMetroLibrary.org/donate to learn more and support the Bookmobile.
Camee Hart is the Outreach Services Manager for Dayton Metro Library.
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