Long before Amazon, Audible, and other digital book distributors, bookmobiles were bringing literature to peoples' doorsteps. Their mission was to provide remote villages and city suburbs that had no libraries with books to read. We invite you to remember these almost forgotten four-wheelers of the past.
The first mobile library is believed to have appeared in Warrington, England in the late 1850s. It was a horse-drawn cart and lent about 12,000 books during its first year of service. Later, such mobile public libraries were installed inside vehicles and reached the height of their popularity in the mid-20th century when they had become a part of Americal life and were loved by every bookworm.
Although bookmobiles are still operated in some parts of the world by libraries, schools, activists, and other organizations, they are widely thought to be an outdated service due to high costs, advanced technology, and impracticality.
Now scroll down below and check the vintage photos showcasing a piece from our past!
(h/t: vintageeveryday, messynessychic)
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An Opened Bookmobile, 1925
jeeeze.. what a great way to spend your life... driving around with this exactly car, bringing books to the people.
The First Bookmobile Of The Public Library Of Cincinnati, 1927
A Mobile Library In Kurdistan, Iran, 1970
Inside A Bookmobile, 1960s
Although my grade school had plenty of books (that you could borrow) in every classroom, our grade school didn't have its own library, so a county library bookmobile came by. Looked a lot like this one. Got exposed to Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke, Heinlein, and many other SF authors whose books they carried. Probably the only thing about school I looked forward to. Sincere thanks and cheers for the people of the Ohio Lucas County Library and their bookmobiles.
I’ve worked in one like that one when I first started worke in Rica Libraries in 1972. We didn’ have a catalogue though , I would take the customers request and bring it to the next time we stoped at her stop
Load More Replies...As a young kid during the 60's we lived for a while at a research lab deep in the Big Thicket along the Gulf Coast, out from Beaumont, Texas. We used to drive out to what served as the main road into Sour Lake and meet up with the bookmobile. It was similar to the one pictured here but I recall it had more books and wasn't as well lit. A great summer, reading my books out by the bayou.
We had a library like this come to our village in England the closest library was 5 miles away
This is what our book mobile looked like. It would park at the nearby park for an hour or so every three weeks. It was a great to go to the book mobile.
Yes! I rode my bike from the farm to the hamlet to find and check out books for my summer reading. The bookmobile looked just like this photograph.
This looks like the bookmobile that my aunt worked on, and I used to take out books to read when I was a child. I received a 'waiver' on the number of books I could check out each time it would come (it came every 14 days/2 weeks), because even then I would read one or more books a day. I still try to read as much as possible and have an eclectic taste and read tomes across the board. Thank you Washington State for the opportunity to get my hands on so many and expansive variety of books as a child, and to be able to travel the world, while I physically lived on an island.
I lived in Miami in the early 60s. We loved going to the bookmobile in the summer.
This is the kind I remember so well. I would sit on the floor and pour over the books until I reached my limit, then walk 6 blocks home wishing I had not taken so many. Loved the book mobiles.
Just how the bookmobile that came to my grammar school in the 70s looked!
Camberwell Library, Victoria, Australia ran bookmobiles within a lot of it’s suburbs. We climbed on board in Surrey Hills once a fortnight. I can still remember the smell of the linoleum because the children's books were down near the floor. Part of the magic was that it came at dusk - the end of the working day for Dad. He used to walk us through the park and over the creek to get to it’s welcoming light and back again to the warm lights of home. There was magic in the books and magic in th journeying.
This enabled us to read through the summer during the late fifties in Glade Spring, VA
We used to go to one in Houston in the mid 1950s. I loved it. We would all cart home our limit and have them all read by the time it came back. It was wonderful.
This brings back so many memories of summers in Lonedell, MO. Scenic Regional Library of Franklin Co would bring the book mobile there 3 times every summer. During the school year they would bring books for our Library at school. Every class got to send 2 people to pick out books for the library until the next month. I have reading certificates from every summer & school year thru 8th grade!
Memories of early learning through reading a book from the Bookmobiles! I was so excited to check out a book!
This reminds me of our old Bookmobile, but we also had the school library, the town library, a monthly mail program where we could choose our own paperbacks. And my parents bought me books, my grandmother sent me a book a month, and everybody read to me until I could read to them. I must have been three.
One Of The Library Bookmobiles, C. 1948.
A Bookmobile In Indonesia, Early 20th Century.
The Bookmobile In Columbia Park, C. 1940
Bookmobile
Book Caravan In Iowa, C.1927
Why would a city like this seems to be, not have a tax-supported library?
Multnomah County Library, 1926
Greensboro, North Carolina, 1936
An Impatient Queue For A Dutch Bookmobile
The Library’s Bookmobile On Compton Road, C.1933
Three Of The Bookmobile Staff, C.1930
Craig Medvigny (left) And David Sutton Enjoying A Book; Eleanor Mann Substitute Traveling Branch Librarian, C. 1920s
Mrs. Josie Sanders, Richard Sanders, Jerome Sanders And Two Younger Children. C1950s
A Horse-drawn Cart In Washington In The 1900s. It Was One Of The First American Bookmobiles, Built In 1905, But Was Hit And Destroyed By A Train In 1910
A Bookmobile In Indonesia, Early 20th Century.
A Mobile Library In Canterbury
A Boston Public Library Bookmobile, 1963
A Bus With A View, 1967
Utah State Library Bookmobile On The Road Circa 1970
The Library's Bookmobile
Children Gathering At The Bookmobile, C. 1912
Children Gathering At The Kern County Free Library Bookmobile At Aztec School, 1947
A Very Fine Bookmobile Owned By The New Castle County Free Library
Rockville Fair, Maryland, 1928
I agree. The contemporary version could read, "County Library We Need to Keep Ours'.
A Circulating Library In A Streetcar In Munich, Germany
Wow! I've never seen a streetcar library before. Why couldn't New Orleans have done that?
Bookmobile At Anne Arundel County Fair, 1973
Sanpete County Bookmobile
Why aren't all bookshelves, even in-home ones slanted even slightly? It just makes such good sense!
Summer Rural Service, 1936
Bookmobile
The Book Caravan, One Of The First Traveling Bookshops, 1920.
Love this. Not a lot of people read books anymore but I do. There is nothing that compares to it!
Books Free For Everybody, Right At The Door – If You Vote "yes"
Library Bookmobiles In Front Of Union Terminal
The Library’s Bookmobile In Sharonville, Circa 1938
Love this one too! Look at all the women eager to read and learn!
California State Library Bookmobile, C. 1950
This photo was taken at the Kern County Fairgrounds, possibly during the fair!
Patrons Visiting The Bookmobile
Bookmobile, Southgate District, C. 1920s
This is definitely not in the 1920s. The girl on the steps is wearing a 1940s style head wrap and cut off denim shorts, which would NEVER have been worn in the 20s, nor did little boys go shirtless or wear jeans. The styles indicate the 1940s.
Bookmobile In Madrid Spain
The Library's First Bookmobile, C. 1927
A Czech Book Truck
Onboard The Connecticut State Library’s Bookmobile With Margaret Sullivan And Marcella Finan, 1967
Chris Junapa Standing In The Bookmobile, 1980
Patrons Visiting The Bookmobile
Patrons Visit The Bookmobile In 1962. Mrs James B. Wilson, Librarian, Performs Readers' Advisory Service At Far Right
Carolyn Herntz Assists Patrons Visiting The Bookmobile, 1958
Are those magnets announcing the next arrival? Glob, these are all so incredible! 😮😍
Patrons Visiting The Bookmobile
A Photo Of The Bookmobile From Washington County (md) Free Library
Bookmobile At Headquarters, 1977
Presentation Of The New Bookmobile At The Paris Colonial Exposition Held In Paris France, 1931
Bookmobile, About 1925
Bookmobile Interior, May 1927
Wow. The leather straps. That must have smelt really nice when the Sun would shine on it.
Bookmobile, 1930s
Summer Book Wagon, 1928
Bookmobile, 1924
Kids At Bookmobile
A Tram In Berlin With 2400 Books In Berlin, 1952
Can't help but recall that only a few years earlier some people were burning books in Germany. Wonderful how enlightenment always returns. But at great cost.
Framingham Public Library, 1956
Utah State Library Bookmobile On The Road, 1970
The Bookmobile Of Providence Public Library, 1967
Paul Buttars, Former Manager Of The Utah State Library Bookmobile Program, In One Of The “older” Bookmobiles. Taken In Chesterfield, Ut, C.1975
The Bicentennial Bookmobile In Utah, 1976
Patrons Visiting The Bookmobile
Bookmobile, C. 1950
Getting Ready, 1976
Patrons Visiting The Bookmobile In 1962, Assisted By Mrs. James B. Wilson And Mrs. William H. Gary
Notice how the women were not identified by their own first names, but by their husbands'.
Patrons Visit The Bookmobile
Bookmobile, C. 1950
The Postman would put a notice in the mailbox when the bookmobile would be coming down our street. I had a bike just like that.
Interior Of A Circulating Library In A Streetcar In Munich, Germany
Patrons Visiting The Bookmobile
Bookmobile
Patrons In Bookmobile Line
Bookmobile, 1999
Bookmobile
We still have mobile libraries in Ireland. Town libraries are accessible for most, but for people in rural areas, the book bus is invaluable
We still have one where I live (Switzerland), it's called the bibliobus and a lot of people frequent it (including me). If you want to see what a modern mobile library looks like: www.bibliobus.ch
As I've mentioned in the text, some do still exist. Other countries include Australia, Indonesia, and even camel-powered ones in Kenya:)
Load More Replies...I don't think bookmobiles are "forgotten four-wheelers of the past". There is still one in the town where I live. Even though the public library is easy to reach, the mobile is for those who are too old or sick or can't afford the bus ticket to go there. I'm sure other cities have bookmobiles as well.
Like I've said in the text, it's true that some are still operational. However, compared to the 20th century, bookmobiles are nowhere near as popular:)
Load More Replies...I created the Browsers' Bookmobile in 1994 that held over 1,000 books on 60 different men's issues. Check out http://bit.ly/flF1Ku. I drove it, full-time, through 26 states and over 30,000 miles, retiring it in 2000. I gave the books to Michigan State University's Changing Men collection and the RV to a family in need in Crescent City, California.
It's a shame that the commentary reads like these are a thing of the past. Bookmobiles are still very common - as many below have noted - and the headline implies that with Amazon, bookmobiles died. This just contributes to the ignorance of the general public who may not be aware that this excellent service is available in their own communities. An interesting collection of photos - shame about the commentary.
I`ve never seen a library on the move, but I`ve seen a book shop builded inside a bus.
Love these photos. And you'll like my book about mobile libraries around the world! It shows donkey libraries, camels, boats and more! camel-5eb6...481038.jpg
We still have an amazing bookmobile in Salem county NJ. Thanks to the great staff. Maggie, you have always done creative programs.
I always looked forward to the bookmobile day. Our public school was new in 1953 and we didn’t have a library. I loved to read!
Thank you This was wonderful. I vaguely remember the one time I was in a book mobile in the early 60s...at summer camp in NJ.
Our local book mobile is always in danger of funding cuts - it's such an outreach for our clients. All hail the book driving man (or woman)!! From rural Australia.
I am the current President of the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services. There are currently over 650 Bookmobile's in the United States. We are certainly not rare, but these vintage photos are. For more info visit www.abos-outreach.com
I created the Browsers' Bookmobile in 1994 that held over 1,000 books on 60 different men's issues. Check out http://bit.ly/flF1Ku. I took it through 26 states and over 30,000 miles retiring it in 2,000. I gave the books to Michigan State University's Changing Men collection and the 27' RV for a family in need in Crescent City, California.
#15 says C. 1920s but the boy on the right is reading "The Cat Club" which was published in 1944
We have a bookmobile in southern Colorado where I volunteer. A big help to a small community!
I work in Outreach at the Indianapolis Public Library. We've got 2 large bookmobiles and 5 Itty Bitty bookmobiles. We are still going strong providing services to our community. In fact, outreach services all over the country are evolving to provide important services in difficult to reach areas. http://www.indypl.org/about/news/2016/indypl-unveils-frog-and-toad-its-two-new-bookmobiles/
We have these in Finland too! "Library buses" have always been a normal and modern thing to me, and I was shocked when I saw a post where they are referred to as "almost forgotten four-wheelers of the past" (even if it is mentioned that they still exist somewhere). I made most of my visits to a library bus as an elementary school kid, I suppose choosing a book to read was part of our studies - and the bus had a stop right next to my school. Nowadays I live in a city centre and the library is 10 min walk away, so I no longer need a library bus. But every day when I walk to work (25-30min walk away), I pass a library bus stop :)
I wish I could teach out of one of these....sitting outside and all school stuff at the ready 😊
Maybe i'm materialistic, but i love books. The feel, the smell, i just love them. We had a bookmobile come to my school every few months when i was a kid. My mum would give me $5 and I took so long to select which book would be mine. I loved those bookmobiles like Christmas! E-books are wonderful and widen many people's exposure to literature, but nothing beats the tangibility of a book.
I remember the bookmobile we used in the late '60s. It was parked on the street by the elementary school on Saturdays all day. We lived in a new subdivision (ALL of the subdivisions were new), and there were very few public facilities built at all. We had to the city centre to do anything. The whole area was houses, surrounded on three sides by fields. That didn't last long.
If liberals were able to recognize that these are in fact "books" they would torch them because they are uneducated sheeple !!
We still have mobile libraries in Ireland. Town libraries are accessible for most, but for people in rural areas, the book bus is invaluable
We still have one where I live (Switzerland), it's called the bibliobus and a lot of people frequent it (including me). If you want to see what a modern mobile library looks like: www.bibliobus.ch
As I've mentioned in the text, some do still exist. Other countries include Australia, Indonesia, and even camel-powered ones in Kenya:)
Load More Replies...I don't think bookmobiles are "forgotten four-wheelers of the past". There is still one in the town where I live. Even though the public library is easy to reach, the mobile is for those who are too old or sick or can't afford the bus ticket to go there. I'm sure other cities have bookmobiles as well.
Like I've said in the text, it's true that some are still operational. However, compared to the 20th century, bookmobiles are nowhere near as popular:)
Load More Replies...I created the Browsers' Bookmobile in 1994 that held over 1,000 books on 60 different men's issues. Check out http://bit.ly/flF1Ku. I drove it, full-time, through 26 states and over 30,000 miles, retiring it in 2000. I gave the books to Michigan State University's Changing Men collection and the RV to a family in need in Crescent City, California.
It's a shame that the commentary reads like these are a thing of the past. Bookmobiles are still very common - as many below have noted - and the headline implies that with Amazon, bookmobiles died. This just contributes to the ignorance of the general public who may not be aware that this excellent service is available in their own communities. An interesting collection of photos - shame about the commentary.
I`ve never seen a library on the move, but I`ve seen a book shop builded inside a bus.
Love these photos. And you'll like my book about mobile libraries around the world! It shows donkey libraries, camels, boats and more! camel-5eb6...481038.jpg
We still have an amazing bookmobile in Salem county NJ. Thanks to the great staff. Maggie, you have always done creative programs.
I always looked forward to the bookmobile day. Our public school was new in 1953 and we didn’t have a library. I loved to read!
Thank you This was wonderful. I vaguely remember the one time I was in a book mobile in the early 60s...at summer camp in NJ.
Our local book mobile is always in danger of funding cuts - it's such an outreach for our clients. All hail the book driving man (or woman)!! From rural Australia.
I am the current President of the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services. There are currently over 650 Bookmobile's in the United States. We are certainly not rare, but these vintage photos are. For more info visit www.abos-outreach.com
I created the Browsers' Bookmobile in 1994 that held over 1,000 books on 60 different men's issues. Check out http://bit.ly/flF1Ku. I took it through 26 states and over 30,000 miles retiring it in 2,000. I gave the books to Michigan State University's Changing Men collection and the 27' RV for a family in need in Crescent City, California.
#15 says C. 1920s but the boy on the right is reading "The Cat Club" which was published in 1944
We have a bookmobile in southern Colorado where I volunteer. A big help to a small community!
I work in Outreach at the Indianapolis Public Library. We've got 2 large bookmobiles and 5 Itty Bitty bookmobiles. We are still going strong providing services to our community. In fact, outreach services all over the country are evolving to provide important services in difficult to reach areas. http://www.indypl.org/about/news/2016/indypl-unveils-frog-and-toad-its-two-new-bookmobiles/
We have these in Finland too! "Library buses" have always been a normal and modern thing to me, and I was shocked when I saw a post where they are referred to as "almost forgotten four-wheelers of the past" (even if it is mentioned that they still exist somewhere). I made most of my visits to a library bus as an elementary school kid, I suppose choosing a book to read was part of our studies - and the bus had a stop right next to my school. Nowadays I live in a city centre and the library is 10 min walk away, so I no longer need a library bus. But every day when I walk to work (25-30min walk away), I pass a library bus stop :)
I wish I could teach out of one of these....sitting outside and all school stuff at the ready 😊
Maybe i'm materialistic, but i love books. The feel, the smell, i just love them. We had a bookmobile come to my school every few months when i was a kid. My mum would give me $5 and I took so long to select which book would be mine. I loved those bookmobiles like Christmas! E-books are wonderful and widen many people's exposure to literature, but nothing beats the tangibility of a book.
I remember the bookmobile we used in the late '60s. It was parked on the street by the elementary school on Saturdays all day. We lived in a new subdivision (ALL of the subdivisions were new), and there were very few public facilities built at all. We had to the city centre to do anything. The whole area was houses, surrounded on three sides by fields. That didn't last long.
If liberals were able to recognize that these are in fact "books" they would torch them because they are uneducated sheeple !!