Topic: Te Waka Mātauranga
Topic type:
Our new mobile library service
Books will head out on the road in a new Renault Master van custom fitted with mobile book trolleys and a hoist platform.
Operating the service by van means more library staff will be able to get out into the community and they will each have their regular stops. Overseeing the service is newly appointed Outreach Coordinator Robyn Skipwith who many will know from her time as Customer Services Team Leader at Rotorua Library. She is taking on the new challenge with gusto and has met with representatives at most of the Mobile Library stops.
"The reception has been really positive everywhere" says Ms Skipwith. "Everyone I've talked to just can't wait to have the Mobile Library visiting them".
The new-look service goes deeper than just a new van. The timetable has been reviewed and the way the service is delivered is changing. The Mobile Library will spend longer at each stop and books will be brought inside. Members of the community will truly experience the library popping up at their place and get the chance to browse the books in their own environment, interact with staff, and chat about their favourite books and authors.
Changes also mean that the books selected for each stop can be tailored to the needs of regular Mobile Library users as stops for children and adults have been grouped and books on offer can be fine-tuned on a daily basis. Another benefit of the new van is the potential to add stops that were previously unreachable such as Lake Tarawera.
