Dayton Metro Library launches new Bookmobile

“After 20 years on the road, the current Bookmobile needed to be upgraded to a modern, wheelchair-accessible vehicle,” said Dayton Metro Library Outreach Services Manager Camee Hart. “A new Bookmobile means more patrons will be able to access it fully, and we will be able to continue visiting schools, childcare centers and after-school programs for many years to come.”

In 2024, the previous bookmobile made 505 stops and saw 19,102 visitors at preschools, community centers, community events and even parades, the library said in an announcement. It been in service since 2005.

Dayton Metro Library began the search for funds to replace its old Bookmobile in 2023, with a goal of raising $650,000.

Individual community gifts through Library Giving Day campaigns, the Dayton Metro Library Foundation, Friends of the Dayton Metro Library and a grant funded by The Dayton Foundation, among others, contributed to the effort.

“Thank you to our donors and all our dedicated Library patrons for their support of the Bookmobile,” Hart said.

The Dayton Metro Library Bookmobile comes with more than a century of history, the library said. In the earliest days, it took the form of horse-drawn book wagons. In 1923, Daytonian Electra Collins Doren pioneered Ohio’s first motorized Bookmobile, enabling delivery to factory workers and patrons in outlying areas, the library said.

“DML is proud to hold onto this valuable piece of history and to be able to carry on Doren’s namesake and concept – the Bookmobile. In 102 years, DML has reduced barriers to literacy and resources by serving patrons all over Montgomery County,” said Executive Director Jeffrey Trzeciak. “With a new and modern vehicle, and thanks to all of our donors, we can continue delivering resources well into the 21st century.”

Patrons can visit the new bookmobile at the various Dayton Metro Library branches several days this fall.

New Bookmobile Schedule: