The bookmobile rolls on in St. Paul

I remember the bookmobile from when I was a kid and I wasn't aware that it was still around until I saw it parked at the West Seventh Community Center where we have one of the nicest libraries around.  We have a wonderful library system in St. Paul and in Minneapolis. There is a branch library in every neighborhood and, of course, the central library downtown. 

The bookmobile goes out into the neighborhoods and visits senior housing complexes and helps seniors and children who cannot easily get to the library. When I was a child reading books was a big part of my summer. I suppose it was partly because I am the daughter of a teacher and partly because we didn't have electronic games or computers and were not allowed to turn on the TV during the day. 

The bookmobile is impressive. It is 36 feet long and 12.2 feet high and has over 5,000 items on it. It follows a two-week schedule. There has been a bookmobile in St. Paul since 1916 but the one they use now is the 2005 model so it is no longer pulled by horses which is kind of a shame but we have to keep up with the times.

If you live in St. Paul you live by a library. I don't think they have kindle books yet but if you want a real book with paper pages check it out. Do kids still read books during summer vacation? I sure hope so.

Teresa Boardman