Book mobile

The bookmobile pulled up to the Manna Christian Missionaries RV Park and parked just within the community’s fences.

Kids of all ages and their parents saw the 40-foot bus, which is painted blue with a beach theme, and ran inside their homes.

But they weren’t running away from the bus — they were running to get their library books and library cards.

“I love coming to get movies,” said Lizett Vivai, 7.

The bookmobile visits communities throughout Lee County once every two weeks, which gives kids plenty of time to read books or watch DVDs before it returns.

“Manna Christian is a really good place to visit because many kids don’t have access to the library, and this brings books to their backyards,” said Kathy Mayo, who has been the coordinator of the bookmobile for more than a decade.

But the mobile’s services aren’t limited to just checking out and returning books. Kids can also get a library card, sign up for the summer reading programs and spend time talking to librarians.

“If you want something not on the bookmobile, you can request that it be brought to your area,” said library spokesperson Heather O’Connell. “We strive to provide library service and extend it throughout the community.”

The bookmobile is now a full library on wheels, but it wasn’t always that way.

Its full history is not known, but stories suggest that the first “mobile” in the area was begun in 1953 by the Women’s Club of Bonita Springs.

“The women’s club began a small library by collecting books from a small beauty shop,” O’Connell said. “That’s when we started a mobile library and Colonel Godson drove his truck around.”

But Godson’s truck isn’t anything compared to the bookmobile purchased in 1991.

This one can have up to 30 visitors at once and has three air conditioners to keep them cool.

The body of the bookmobile is a school bus chassis with a wheelchair lift and a diesel engine and generator.

It’s built to accommodate two library staff members, books shelves, benches and all sorts of library materials.

“The shelves are built at an angle, so the books stay on the shelves. But they do fall if you take a sharp turn, but we try to avoid that,” Mayo said. “It’s a pretty big bus.”

But big isn’t always what visitors think when they open the door and see the selection of more than 4,000 items.

Fernando Jose, 8, visited the bookmobile for the first time and liked the concept of a library on wheels.

“I like the movies and books,” Jose said. He spent some time picking out DVDs and returning books that he had rented at the Bonita Springs Public Library.

Books line the walls inside the bus, and benches or step stools provide seating. There are also plenty of posters hanging around that highlight the importance of reading.

The book mobile will make its first appearance for the children in the Pueblo Bonito Boys and Girls Club Summer Program on June 7 in Bonita Springs.

“We keep a good schedule of what is going on and when we will be at certain neighborhoods,” O’Connell said. “This bus helps with our literacy efforts and it’s important to provide services for those who can’t get to the library for whatever reason.”