Discovery Bus turns the page

Eight-year-old Kylee Lewis couldn't have described Jackson County Public Library's new Discovery Bus any better.

"It's a library on wheels," she said, holding a stack of books she planned to check out from the bus Thursday morning. "I think it's pretty cool."

Fay Gardner, the library's director of outreach services, went one step further.

"This is like the Cadillac of bookmobiles," she said. "It's got everything, and it drives like a dream. We love it."

Gardner and outreach services assistant Staci Eglen agree the vehicle's size and capacity, as well as other features, make it easier to provide services to those who aren't able to make it to the library on their own.

"It can hold so many more books," Eglen said. "We were at 3,800, but we've been able to squeeze more in, so it's close to 4,000 now."

That number includes magazines, books on tape and other materials that line the interior of the Discovery Bus on oak shelves. It's quite an increase compared to the 2,000-item capacity of the old bookmobile, Gardner added.

One of Gardner's favorite features is the bus' wireless internet.

"We're online, which helps us check materials in and out," she said. "Anything they can do at the checkout desk at the library, we can do, too."

Gardner also points out that the bus' driver and passenger seats swivel to face small checkout desks.

"It makes it more convenient for us and it saves space," she said.

Other features include a wheelchair lift, making the vehicle accessible to the physically handicapped and making it easier on staff to rotate materials on and off the bus, and a special engine/generator combo that allows the vehicle's lights and air conditioning to be on even while the bus is turned off.

"It's really nice because it conserves fuel that way and it's much quieter," Gardner said. "We also have skylights, so in the fall we don't have to have either on."

On the road

Throughout the year, the mobile library will make 30-minute to one-hour stops in neighborhoods, at daycares, nursing homes, apartment buildings, trailer parks, group homes, the juvenile detention center and houses with elderly or homebound patrons.

"We go all over the county," Gardner said.

Because the Discovery Bus stops where many children are present, there are several safety features, including a camera and monitor system that is used when backing up the bus. It's also equipped with a public address system, allowing the bus to be used at community events.

The bus made a stop at Precious People Daycare in Seymour Thursday, where a group of about 20 kids packed inside to hear stories, sing songs and pick out books to take home.

"I think it's just great," Patty Jones, who runs the daycare out of her home, said of the service. "The new bus is so much nicer and there's more room. I like that it comes right to your house."

So do the kids under Jones' care.

"I think it's fun and I like the reading and the singing," 7-year-old Kristina Griffin said.

Eight-year-old Nicollette Robertson said she liked the Discovery Bus because of all the books.

"I like checking out books and reading at home," she said.

Jones said she appreciates all that Gardner, Eglen and the rest of the outreach services staff do to encourage reading in the community.

Options

After a year of studying their options and checking prices, the library purchased the $115,000 Freightliner MT 55 Chassis bus this spring to replace its outdated bookmobile, which had been in use for 12 years. The bus arrived from Massachusetts in May and the library held a grand opening last month.

The library held a design contest last year and invited the community to help come up with the name and look for the new bus. More than 200 people submitted designs and nearly 300 submitted names.

Hard to miss

It's now hard to miss seeing the Discovery Bus when it's out on the road. On one side is a large colorful mural of a frog with the slogan Leap Into Reading. The design was created by 2008 Crothersville High School graduate Courtnee Howard.

The actual name The Discovery Bus was the winning idea of Jake Pennington of Seymour.

Seymour resident Kayley T. Ramirez won the slogan and design of the other side of the bus with "On the Road to Reading."

Each winner received a $50 savings bond, courtesy of Irwin Union and National City banks.

As for what the public thinks about the bus, Gardner said the response has been nothing but positive.

"It's been great," she said. "Everybody says they love it. We are reaching people that can not get to the library, and that's what is important. Everyone should have access to the library and we'll come right to your door."