A bookmobile is coming to Hays! With funding from the Dane G. Hansen Foundation and the Hays Public Library Foundation, the Hays Public Library is purchasing a bookmobile to expand outreach services.
The bookmobile will allow the library to move beyond the building to provide books and other resources at locations throughout the community. A Dane G. Hansen grant of $76,200 and a matching contribution from the Hays Public Library Foundation will pay for the $152,400 bookmobile.
The bookmobile, which is expected to be delivered early next year, will be equipped to provide a variety of library services. Making regular stops at popular locations around the community, patrons will be able to get a library card, browse the collection, and request alternative items for future stops. The bookmobile also will be a wi-fi hotspot for patrons who need access to the internet. Visits to senior living facilities and early childhood centers will be standard practice for the bookmobile.
“The Hays Public Library is so much more than a nice big building on Main Street full of books and computers,” said Hays Public Library Director Brandon Hines. “We know that to provide the level of excellence of service we strive for and to provide an optimal return of value to our community, we must get outside the walls of the library. We are already doing this in a number of ways. The acquisition of a bookmobile will greatly enhance our ability to be embedded throughout the various sectors of our community and provide services to those who can’t or don’t regularly come through the doors of the library.”
Adding a bookmobile to the library’s services has been a goal of Outreach Coordinator Vera Elwood, who conducted much of the research into vehicle specifications and funding opportunities. Unfortunately, Elwood is leaving the library later this month for a new position closer to her family, and so the library is currently advertising for a new Outreach Coordinator to oversee this project and outreach services.
The Hays Public Library Foundation is a volunteer group that helps address emergent and unexpected needs of the library through supplemental investments and funding, such as assisting with the purchase of the bookmobile. The Hays Public Library Foundation was established in 2001. For more information or to get involved, visit the library website.
The Dane G. Hansen Foundation was established as a charitable organization in 1965, with the primary goal of making the communities of Northwest Kansas better places to live. Established through a generous estate donation from Dane G. Hansen, the Foundation awards grants and scholarships every year to qualified recipients in Northwest Kansas who demonstrate a strong desire for community improvement.
“We can’t wait to deploy this incredible tool,” Hines continued, “and are immensely thankful to the Dane G. Hansen Foundation and Hays Public Library Foundation for making this possible.”
You can keep up to date on bookmobile project and find out more about other library programs by visiting hayslibrary.org or calling 785-625-9014.