Bookmobile News

Really, is it too much to ask that it rain only during the week?  We’re all in favor of welcoming the precious precipitation that our state needs but it sure is disappointing when it cancels our give-away days on the weekends.  We were especially frustrated to see the Head Start Welcome Day at Finley Park cut short due to weather concerns.  Hopefully a bit more funding will soon come our way so we can purchase an enclosed-style bookmobile.  Of course we would have needed a tugboat to do our scheduled business in Cotati last weekend.

On the balance, the weather has been quite cooperative over the span of our 16-month history.  There were a number of occasions last winter on which we benefited from an extremely timely interlude of sunshine amongst the rain.  So lest we appear ungrateful, let us just say “We welcome the blessings of the rainfall that provide us with crucial drinking water, irrigation, and more, especially when it arrives between the hours of 12 and 4 Am”.

KRCB’s Bruce Robinson happily happened upon us in Forestville last month and was so inspired by what he saw that he invited us to come interview for the station’s “North Bay Report” radio show.  Free Bookmobile Director Glen Weaver spoke about the origins of the project and how things have been growing steadily since then.  He also mentions the joys of  participating with the good people of Sonoma County.

The polished version can be heard online at:

http://krcb.org/free-bookmobile

Enjoy, and please pass the link to your friends!

We are pleased to announce that, due to the popularity of the Sonoma County Free Bookmobile, we now need helping hands to maintain the highest quality service for our growing numbers of patrons.  We are onto something great here, and we hope that you’ll lend a little of your time and energy.

Here are the current volunteer positions.  We will keep this list updated via a download link on our “Help Us!” page on the bookmobile website.

Book Donation Delivery Driver - Pick up boxes of book donations from various collection sites in Santa Rosa and Windsor.  Bring them to bookmobile staff in Sebastopol or directly to events.

Event Research - Find dates and contact information for specific events appropriate for bookmobile partnership.

Shelving Builder – Obtain materials and build custom shelving in the book storage unit.

Book Drive Coordinator - Organize and coordinate drives to solicit donations of books for the bookmobile.

Event Helper - Greet patrons, help them browse, restock shelves, set up and take down tables and canopy.

Behind the Scenes - Other work utilizing your special talents!

For more information about these opportunities, contact Glen: Glen@sonic.net or call 520-4536.  And thank you for your continued support!

We are delighted to announce our third mini-grant win (3 for 3!).  The good folks at the Santa Rosa Community Advisory Board (CAB) support many kinds of grassroots projects.  After considering our written proposal and listening to our oral presentation, the CAB voted to endorse our drive to purchase a bigger bookmobile.  Many thanks to Ed Buonaccorsi, Jo Anne Cohn, and the rest of their team for seeking to improve opportunities for the low-income residents of Santa Rosa.  We enjoy serving these families at locations like Landpath’s Bayer Farm, Indian Health Clinic, and the Head Start Program.

This greatly expands our ability to purchase a quality vehicle, for which we are on the lookout!  It turns out there are some delivery-truck type conversions out there that don’t quite fit the bill.  Generally the center aisle is too narrow and these trucks lack a wheelchair lift or ramp.  So the search continues as well as the efforts to raise additional funds.