Longtime residents of Henderson and Vance County may remember seeing the old bookmobile parked under the shade of a tree alongside the old H. Leslie Perry Library. The paint was a faded blue, but the sight of that vehicle out in the county meant that if the readers couldn’t get to the books, then the books could get to the readers.
The Perry Memorial Library staff is resurrecting that concept and recently announced that it got a $100,000 grant to get a sleek, new bookmobile on the roads of Vance County once more.
The price tag for a new bookmobile, however, is $160,000. A fundraiser is going on now to make up the difference and so far, citizens, business owners and non-profits have stepped up to provide $31,000.
The base of the bookmobile is a 22-foot Morgan Olson Step Van, and the vehicle will be equipped to meet the needs of the people who will use it – all types of technology will be on board to allow for books to be checked in and out, for use of the computers located inside and new library patrons can have their library cards printed on site. There also will be a lift to accommodate handicapped patrons.
Henderson-Vance Chamber of Commerce President Michele Burgess said her group’s education division is focusing on ways to improve the county’s literacy rate, and it fully supports the library’s efforts to get a bookmobile on the road to serve the community. She noted that nearby counties have multiple branches to serve patrons and other counties already have bookmobiles to serve outlying areas, but Vance County has only the one library in Henderson.
“Having a Vance County bookmobile to travel up to Townsville, out to the Middleburg area, and over to Kittrell is going to provide a tremendous service,” Burgess said.
To learn more about how to make a donation to the bookmobile project, visit the Perry Memorial Library website at: www.perrylibrary.org. Or mail your check to: Perry Library Bookmobile Fund, 205 Breckenridge St., Henderson, NC 27536.
If you have questions, contact Christy Bondy, assistant librarian at 252.438.3316 or email cbondy@perrylibrary.org.
Business owners can make tax-deductible donations at the following sponsorship levels:
- Platinum – $5,000+ – your name and company logo will appear on the back of the bookmobile
- Gold – $2,500 – 4,999 – your name/business name will be listed on the back of the bookmobile
- Silver – $500 – $2,499 – your name/business name will be acknowledged inside the bookmobile as a silver donor
- Bronze – $250 – $500 – your name/business name will be acknowledged inside the bookmobile as a bronze donor
- Supporter $1 – $249 – your name/business name will appear on the library’s website as a bookmobile supporter.
