DBRL Bookmobile Celebrates 50 Years on the Road

December 2007

Read more about the history of the bookmobile service in the December 2007 Director's Note. Do you have a photo or story about the bookmobile you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you.

The Columbia Missourian printed the following schedule for the first day of demonstration bookmobile service in Boone County:

“Monday, July 1 [1957], at 9 a.m. at Zaring School, 9:45 a.m. at Gillaspy School, 10:30 at Murry Store, 11:15 at Brown’s Station, 1 p.m. at Hallsville, 2:15 at Elm Tree Store and at 3 p.m. at Hinton”

Pied Piper Bookmobile

In the early 1970s, DBRL also ran a bookmobile-type bus for programming called the “Pied Piper.” It had room for story times, flip-up craft desks and a built-in puppet stage/projection screen.

Bookmobile & Outreach Staff

Many Bookmobile and Outreach staffers have worked for DBRL for a long time, including department head Karen Neely, who started in 1969. The current Outreach Department staff are Frances Bush, Carolyn Cain, Darin Fugit, Deb Jewett, April Karlovit, Sherry McBride-Brown, Karen Neely, Heather Patten and Eric Schmeck.

Bookmobile Programs