Columbus Neighborhoods
How Bookmobiles Brought Books to Columbus Neighborhoods
Special | 1m 20sVideo has Closed Captions
Discover how Columbus’ bookmobiles brought books to neighborhoods and fostered literacy for decades.
Discover the history of Columbus’ bookmobiles, which began in 1950 to bring books to neighborhoods without library branches. These mobile libraries became a vital part of the community, fostering literacy and providing access to books for decades. From their early days to their transformation into Metro Mouse Mobiles in the 1990s, explore how they connected people with the joy of reading.
Columbus Neighborhoods is a local public television program presented by WOSU
Columbus Neighborhoods
How Bookmobiles Brought Books to Columbus Neighborhoods
Special | 1m 20sVideo has Closed Captions
Discover the history of Columbus’ bookmobiles, which began in 1950 to bring books to neighborhoods without library branches. These mobile libraries became a vital part of the community, fostering literacy and providing access to books for decades. From their early days to their transformation into Metro Mouse Mobiles in the 1990s, explore how they connected people with the joy of reading.
How to Watch Columbus Neighborhoods
Columbus Neighborhoods is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipWhen main library opened in 1907, it became clear that there needed to be branch libraries in Columbus neighborhoods.
That theme rang throughout after World War II as well.
In 1950, the library started the bookmobile program, where it would travel to neighborhoods that were not served by a branch libraries.
This photograph here shows customers waiting outside of a bookmobile parked on Main Street in Hilliard, checking out their next great reads.
By 1958, there were four bookmobile was in service, and that year, a quarter of the library's circulation came from customers borrowing books from bookmobile.
By the 1990s, two bookmobile were redesigned as metro mouse mobiles.
They traveled to local preschools to foster early literacy skills, and by 2014, the bookmobile service was retired.
If you enjoy Ohio Snapshots In Time, please like share and subscribe.
Ohio Snapshots in Time is produced by WOSU Public Media in partnership with the staff of the Columbus Metropolitan Library.
Columbus Neighborhoods is a local public television program presented by WOSU