Library Outreach   Tags: bookmobile, outreach  

Staff of the San Antonio Public Library participate in hundreds of events each year.  Our purpose in attending these events is to inform the public of our programs and services and to register Bexar County residents for library cards.

If you would like the Library to run an information table at your event, you can call the Outreach Office at (210) 207-2576 or (210) 207-2579.  Please be ready with

*the name of your organization

*the title and purpose of your event

*the date, times and location of the event

*a phone number and email address for the event's contact person

*whether you'll be able to provide a table and chairs for us to use

*whether your event will be inside or outside

*whether your organization has already contacted a branch library or Central Library about this event

*how many people are expected

Please make your requests at least 4 weeks in advance.

Please be aware that we receive many more requests for participation that we can fulfill.  We do our best to attend events that are likely to draw large crowds of local residents. 

Please also be aware that we can't give away books or provide doorprizes.

Here's our bookmobile schedule for the next couple of days.  To see the complete schedule, go to our blog.

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Here are some of the upcoming community and school events in which we'll be participating. To see more details, visit the Outreach Blog.

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The Little Read Wagon staff provide training all around Bexar County.

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What is outreach?   Anytime the library brings a service or a resource beyond the buildings' walls, that's outreach. 

Noreen Reese, in "The Administration of Outreach Services," Publisher's Weekly 2002, writes: 

   "Two components of outreach exist.  The first involves actually taking library services out into the community:  bringing materials to nursing homes, holding a book discussion at a community center, taking a bookmobile into neighborhoods, or performing story times at area parks are all examples of this form of outreach.  The other component of outreach deals with sharing information about the library and its services at locations outside of the library.  This may include things like having a library staff member talk to new teachers at the local schools about library services, doing a 'library card sign-up' at a senior center, or having a library representative participate as a member of a local business club.  The purpose of this outreach is to tell the library's story, and make more residents aware of what is going on at their library."

To reach Bexar County residents who, because of distance or disability, have trouble reaching us, San Antonio Public Library's Office of Outreach provides these services:

      *the bookmobile

      *participation in community events

      *off-site programs, such as Dare to Read, a book club for adults who are learning English

     *presentations about library services

     *Jury Reading Project:  Outreach gathers gently used magazines to give to the Bexar County Courthouse for juries to read during their breaks

Additionally, Central Library's Circulation Department provides a books-by-mail service for homebound patrons.

San Antonio Public Library's Office of Outreach

mission statement: The Office of Outreach for San Antonio Public Library will assist the underserved, nonusers and people with special needs in delivering access to the library's programs and services.

Our purpose is to find ways to bring more people into the library and to bring the libraray out to more people in Bexar County.  Under the purview of our office are the Little Read Wagon and the bookmobile.  Our office is also responsible for managing requests for the library's presence at community events. 

vision statement:  We envision a future in which San Antonio Public Library

   *provides assistive technologies that enable persons with disabilities to access our buildings, our collections, our programs and our services 

   *provides programs and materials suited to every age group

   *takes services into the rural communities of Bexar County 

   *takes services to Bexar County residents who are physically unable to visit a branch library

How long has San Antonio had a bookmobile?

The San Antonio Public Library has been providing bookmobile service from the very beginning; in fact, we had a bookmobile in the 1930's, when the library was called the Bexar County Free Library.  You can see historic photos of our bookmobiles here.

What does the bookmobile look like?

Our current bookmobile, "KC," is a 2008 Freightliner MT55.  It's 32 feet long, 8.25 feet high and 12.25 ft. wide with its wheelchair lift extended.  It has its own generator, which powers the lights, heat and air conditioning.  You'll definitely notice KC when she rolls down the road:  she's bright purple with yellow lettering.

What's on the bookmobile?

KC holds about 3,200 books, ranging from board books for babies to large print books.  We have nonfiction, fiction and paperbacks.  We also have a small DVD collection. 

Where does the bookmobile go?

At the present time, we have 15 regular stops that we visit on a 3-week rotation.  Our purpose is to serve people who, because of distance or disability, can't get to a library building.  Our regular stops include rural communities, such as Somerset and Helotes, and several organizations that serve people with disabilities.  You can see the details here.

Who can check things out from the bookmobile?

Anyone with San Antonio Public Library card can borrow books or DVDs from us, and anyone who lives in Bexar County can get a library card from us.  You'll need to show proof of identity and address. 

How many things can be checked out from the bookmobile?

You can borrow up to 50 items from us, just as you can at a branch library.

What if the bookmobile doesn't have an item I want?

You can place holds on items that are kept at other San Antonio Public Library locations, just as you can at a branch library.   You can request books, DVDs and music CDs; for newspapers and magazines, you'll need to visit the branch library that owns the item.

How long can the items be checked out for?

Usually, three weeks, but if a holiday or bad weather prevents us from making a regularly scheduled visit, we'll extend the due date for another three weeks.  So, for example, on May 30 the libraries will be closed for Memorial Day.  Items that are checked out from the bookmobile on May 9 will have a due date of June 20.

Where can I turn in the items I borrowed from the bookmobile?

To any San Antonio Public Library location or the bookmobile.

How can I renew items I borrowed from the bookmobile?

You can use the automated phone system or renew online BUT please be aware that the computer system doesn't know you're a bookmobile patron.  It will give you a due date of 3 weeks from the day you call in, or if you're renewing a DVD or music CD, 1 week from the day you call in.  So for example, if a book you borrowed from the bookmobile is due June 23 and on June 21 you go online and renew it, the new due date will be July 12.  To avoid a fine, you'll need to return that item to the bookmobile or to one of the branch libraries on or before July 21.  To find out where the bookmobile will be on a given date, visit our blog. 

If you want to be given a due date that will match the day the bookmobile will be at a given location, call Central Library or any of the branch libraries.  Tell them you're a bookmobile patron, tell them which stop you go to, and ask for a new due date that will match the bookmobile's schedule.  So for example, suppose it's June 21 and you're renewing a book that's due on June 23. If you want to bring it back to the Somerset bookmobile stop on July 14, call one of the libraries.  A librarian will need to override the computer to give you a due date of July 14.

How much are the fines on bookmobile items?

The fee schedule is here.  Something important to know:  because the computer system doesn't know you're a bookmobile patron, the computer will calculate your fines the same way it does for regular patrons--per day instead of per stop.  So before you pay fines on bookmobile items, speak to a librarian.  He or she will need to recalculate the fines--otherwise, you'll be paying more than you need to.

Bookmobiles go back more than 100 years, predating the automobile!