National Bookmobile Day

Today, April 13, is National Bookmobile Day, which is coordinated by the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Literacy and Outreach Services, the Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services (ABOS), and the Association for Rural & Small Libraries (ARSL).

You didn't know there was such a day designated for bookmobiles? Neither did I until I read the Bookmobileana post on Larry T. Nix's excellent library history blog, Library History Bluff Blog.

From the ALA site, these words describe what the day is and why there is a day for bookmobiles:

National Bookmobile Day (Wednesday, April 13, 2011) celebrates our nation’s bookmobiles and the dedicated library professionals who provide this valuable and essential service to their communities every day.

National Bookmobile Day is an opportunity for bookmobiles fans to make their support known—through thanking bookmobile staff, writing a letter or e-mail to their libraries, or voicing their support to community leaders.

In honor of the day, here are some pages from a vintage children's book from my collection about a bookmobile: Here Comes the Bookmobile, by Dirk Gringhuis (Albert Whitman & Co., Chicago, 1952), signed by the author.