Covington is about to be overrun with bookmobiles.
A total of 11 bookmobiles from public libraries in Kentucky and Ohio will be parked in the circle at Covington Landing and open to the public Wednesday and Thursday and afternoon.
The bookmoblies are here as part of the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services (ABOS) conference this week at the Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter in Covington.
ABOS President Marianne Thompson said even in a day of online books, the ubiquitous Internet, video games, hundreds of channels of on demand cable television and movies, bookmobiles are not going away.
Thompson is the Outreach Services Manager for the Fountaindale Public Library in Bolingbrook, Illinois.
“Kentucky in particular has a long history of embracing and utilizing Bookmobiles,” Thompson said. “Bookmobiles continue to be an outstanding way for public libraries to take their mission and services into the community, reaching those people who don’t for many different reasons regularly come to the library.
The ABOS is comprised of libraries of all types and has a mission to support and encourage government officials, library administrators, trustees and staff in the provision of quality bookmobile and outreach services to meet diverse community information and programming needs.
“Bookmobiles still have books of course, including many of the most current and popular titles, as well as audio books, DVD’s and CDS that visitors can listen to on headphones,” Thompson said “Many bookmobiles also offer on board WiFi hotspots.”
Outreach is a major component of the services ABOS provides. During the recent mass flooding in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, bookmobiles served as quasi-community centers. Residents who lost power in their homes could charge computers and cellphones while connecting with others in the community.
The conference is expected to be the largest in the Association’s history with more than 250 members scheduled to attend.
“We encourage members of the public to please come out and visit the bookmobiles,” Thompson said. If you haven’t been in a bookmobile for a while you’ll probably be really surprised and impressed that while bookmobiles continue to provide books to the public. They’ve also been updated to meet reflect the reading and information-gathering habits and needs of today’s society.”
The bookmobiles will be open to the public Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday from 3:15 p.m. to 5: 15 p.m.
Covington Landing is located at the end of Madison Avenue, between the Cincinnati Marriott at RiverCenter and Embassy Suites hotels.
For more information about the ABOS visit www.ABOS-outreach.com.
NKyTribune staff and meetNKY