INDIANAPOLIS — With the ability to serve more individuals in underserved areas, The Indianapolis Public Library’s two new Bookmobiles will provide enhanced technology and greater programming capability to supplement the delivery of books and other materials to juvenile day cares, after-school locations and neighborhoods.
At a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Central Library on National Bookmobile Day, April 13, IndyPL officials unveiled Frog and Toad, the custom-made Bookmobiles whose names were chosen by Library staff based on the award-winning children’s series by Arnold Lobel. In addition to public tours of the Bookmobiles, the event featured a “National Bookmobile Day in Indianapolis” proclamation from Mayor Joe Hogsett, as well as Blue, the mascot of the Indianapolis Colts, who joined fellow Colts representatives in reading his book, Blue’s Road Trip Through Indiana, to students from Christel House Academy South. Blue also donated a copy of his book, which takes readers on a journey across Indiana to some of his favorite places, to the Library’s collection.
The new Bookmobiles replace two 15-year-old vehicles that logged more than 180,000 miles of service and 4,000 community stops per year. The new Bookmobiles will be on the road simultaneously, allowing for a new public route that will visit up to 20 different locations weekly and serve 3,000 patrons monthly.
