SJC rolls out new bookmobile, set to give thousands access to books

Leaders in St. Johns County are working to ensure everyone who wants to get lost in a good book has the opportunity.

Action News Jax Courtney Cole learned how it is already making a difference in the lives of people who live in the county.

The St. Johns County Mobile Library is helping to spread the joy -- and necessity -- of literacy throughout St. Johns County.

No, it's not the magic school bus, but those who use it say it comes pretty close.

The St. Johns County Public Library System is putting the first brand new bookmobile on the streets since 2001.

Emma Cooksey, a Murabella mom of two, says she's been using it for the last 10 years.

"Where we live, we’re a good 20-minute drive from any of the actual library branches. So it’s really nice to have a bookmobile where we can return books and order books and get them on there,” Cooksey said.

This is the third bookmobile in the fleet and it will help serve several locations throughout the rest of the year.

"It’s really great, especially for rural communities, where they’re not right beside a library,” Cooksey told Action News Jax.

It’s not just for the kids, either. The library on wheels also has a selection for adults.

It serves thousands of book lovers every month.

Harold George, the Library Extension Services manager, said it focuses on areas located mostly in the northern parts of the county...including Murabella, Nocatee and World Golf Village.

"While these communities are more prosperous than others, the SJC movement and library system wants to provide the best library service possible,” George said.

He said it’s a misconception that a tool like this isn't necessary in St. Johns County.

“The word underserved for a lot of people means socioeconomic, but quite frankly, if you don’t have a library, regardless of your community, you’re underserved. So we connect the library to those folks,” George said.

George said they visit most of the locations on their schedule twice a month.

Here's a look at the latest schedule George sent to Action News Jax. He says it's just about done, but wanted to share the completed part of the schedule for now.

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