Ventura County Library bookmobile donations rolling in

Ventura County Library System has received $200,000 toward the purchase of a high tech bookmobile, along with books, equipment and supplies.

Ventura County Board of Supervisors, Ventura County Library Foundation (VCLF), and Nancy Schram, Ventura County Library Director

Following four years of fundraising, the Ventura County Library Foundation (VCLF), a nonprofit organization formed to support literacy in Ventura County, presented a $100,000 check to the Ventura County Library System (VCLS) at the Board of Supervisors meeting on August 7. Capstone students at CSUCI in 2017 studied library services in Ventura County and found a serious lack of library services to large areas, and determined that a cost-effective solution would be to purchase a bookmobile rather than constructing multiple buildings. Matching funds were recently received by VCLS from a grant awarded from the California State Library as distributor of Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Federal funds. Without the matching funds readily available from VCLF, the grant would not have been approved.

Photos from the Ventura County Board of Supervisor’s Meeting August 7, 2018 where the Ventura County Library Foundation (VCLF) Presented the $100,000 check

Ventura County Supervisor Linda Parks expressed her appreciation for the good work of VCLF, “I’m so thankful for VCLF and the donors whose generosity will bring us a bookmobile that can spark the love of books in children, increase literacy, and delight senior citizens and others who can’t get to the library on their own.” VCLF raised funds from events and from generous donors, including the Ventura County Board of Supervisors, Premier America Credit Union, the Oxnard Harbor District, EMCOR, Camarillo Rotary and multiple private donations.

Chair, Sandy Berg, credits the VCLF board of former and current librarians, community leaders and retired County executives from all over the County with reaching out to raise awareness and funds for the bookmobile. “The bookmobile is just the first of many ways that the Foundation plans to support our County libraries. We are currently involved in assisting Fillmore with funding a library community room and exploring literacy programs for adults in the County.”

The Ventura County Library bookmobile is scheduled to hit the road in 2019. The high tech bookmobile will offer a full range of library services to underserved areas and people throughout all of Ventura County, and will visit schools, senior living facilities, farm worker and low-income housing developments, non-profit organizations, and more. This includes unincorporated areas where many people have little or no library service, as well as areas where lack of transportation, age, or disability may limit access to library buildings.

The Ventura County Library bookmobile will incorporate innovative technology to deliver services such as STEM technology including a 3D printer, along with computers and WIFI access. It will also offer many of the same services customers currently enjoy in their community libraries, including popular materials in multiple formats, and early literacy classes. The mobile collection will include materials for children, teens, adults, and seniors in both English and Spanish.

Ventura County Library boasts having the first mobile service in California, dating back to 1924 when Elizabeth Topping, then County Librarian, loaded saddlebags on horseback to deliver books throughout the county. Almost a century later, the 2019 bookmobile will play an important outreach role, connecting new users and raising awareness of library services throughout the county.

Nancy Schram, Ventura County Library Director says, “By partnering with other libraries, schools, corporations and organizations throughout the county, we will bring literacy and library services to community members of all ages who might not otherwise have access to them. The high tech bookmobile will bring STEM activities, such as computer coding and engineering, to children in underserved areas to teach them valuable 21st century skills and introduce them to future careers that focus on these skills.”

For additional information or to find out how your organization can become a bookmobile partner, contact Nancy Schram, Ventura County Library Director at
(805) 256-8535 or Sandy Berg, Chair VCLF, (805) 266-8395.

Ventura County Library:
Inspiring our community to explore, discover and connect.

The Ventura County Library is available 24/7 at www.vencolibrary.org