Page 72 - Sun Rays March 2013

72 | SUNRAYS MARCH 2013 ONLINE: SCTXCA.ORG
This month, the Georgetown
Public Library celebrates the
first anniversary of its colorful
WOW!mobile. (Translation: Words on
Wheels.) The bookmobile serves not only
Sun City, but also apartment complexes,
retirement homes, nursing homes, Head
Start, schools, and just about any other
place that has a need. With some 50 stops
each and every month, its popularity has
grown rapidly from 152 readers in the
first three months of operation to 1,532
the second three months and a whopping
2,478 in the final three months of 2012.
If you’ve never used the WOW!mobile,
you’ve missed out on one of the best
deals around. Though it didn’t come as
a huge surprise to me, it was still quite
impressive to learn I had saved $1,399
in about seven months by borrowing
books instead of buying them. That’s
a lot of money!
I wanted to find out how it all happened,
and my first stop was at the Georgetown
Public Library where Director Eric
Lashley graciously set aside time for me.
He started off by saying that the Friends
of the Georgetown Library, a group of
library volunteers and supporters who
pioneered the vision for a Georgetown
bookmobile, are his true partners in ev-
ery sense of the word. When they first
came to him to share their idea of ac-
quiring a library on wheels and to ask
if he would do some feasibility research
for them, he truly wanted to oblige. But
first, he had concerns about his staff.
How would they react to such an idea? If
it became reality, would they embrace it?
Or would they feel threatened? Honest
concerns, but he found out soon enough
that these concerns were unfounded.
The staff was on board, and the excite-
ment ran high!
Visits were then paid to the Temple Pub-
lic Library to check out their bookmobile
program, followed with presentations
to the Georgetown City Council, which
wholeheartedly embraced the proposal.
Fundraisers were officially kicked off in
April 2010. “Friend” Nick Ramos was
the genius behind the logo, as well as
the design and painting of the colorful
motif on the sides, the front, the back,
and even the top of the bus. Kids and
seniors alike have been seen to purse
their lips and exclaim a silent “WOW!”
when they see the bookmobile. You can’t
help it. It just does something to your
inner self. It makes you want to be a
kid again!
Finally, all that was left to do was find
the right librarian.
Enter Michele Harber, WOW!mobile’s
competent navigator, driver and chosen
librarian. (Not to mention official bus
Happy Anniversary,WOW!mobile!
By Tina Berryman
Photo by SHERRY MCRAE