Lexington mobile libraries expand services on the go

Drivers in Lexington may notice a bus with colorful gradients and white doodles.

That’s one of Lexington County’s libraries on wheels.

The Lexington County Library is taking its services on the road with two mobile libraries named Nova and Myles.

“There’s a lot of underserved communities that don’t have easy access to a library branch and the services they provide,” said Melaney Torcoletti, the mobile library manager.

Myles’ content focuses on younger patrons and children, while Nova’s focuses on seniors and people with disabilities.

Nova has a lift that can be used to load carts of books on and off the bus. It also allows wheelchair users to go into the bus.

“We can take off pre-made carts for the place we’re visiting, take them off and put them in their lobby so they don’t have to worry about coming upstairs (into the bus) or using a lift,” Torcoletti said.

She said the staff builds close relationships with the seniors during their work with Nova.

Kate Barry, the library’s outreach coordinator, said Myles creates a whimsical atmosphere with fairy lights, Disney music and aromatic smells such as strawberries.

“It’s a sensory experience for (children),” Barry said.

The goal is to keep children engaged and make their reading experience enjoyable, Torcoletti said.

“Our only challenge is trying to keep up with the demand, which is a wonderful problem to have,” she said. “It can be stressful because we want to do everything for everyone in the community. But we can only do so much.”

The buses are new to Lexington County’s roads.

The library’s previous mobile library ran for 26 years. But maintenance costs led to the decision to replace it with a new bus. That’s when Myles came into the picture, in 2021.

“In the last eight to 10 years is when we realized the need (for mobile libraries) and how much we can expand what the mobile library does because Lexington County is huge and there’s a lot of rural areas,” Torcoletti said.

With more staff, the library has been able to expand the number of mobile services offered, Barry said.

Lexington County library board members want six buses, but logistics prevent that from happening, Torcoletti said.

Funds aren’t the only problem.

The buses are typically 30 feet tall and require a large garage. Right now, the garage being used only fits the two buses the library has, she said.

“There’s no way to expand anywhere, and we even need more parking for our regular patrons,” Torcoletti said. Finding space for more buses “would probably not be high on the list.”

The library may look into getting a pop-up truck – a smaller, truck-sized mobile library – that can fit into a regular parking space and allow for more convenient delivery services, she said.

“We try to do our best with what we have right now, which is way more than we had before, and that’s how we look at it,” Torcoletti said. “It’s just a lot. It’s a lot more than we had to offer the community before.”

Nova and Myles do more than just carry books: They offer almost all the resources a brick-and-mortar library would have.

Staff can host a “Storytime on Board” with children. The buses have wi-fi, printing services and essentially provide everything the staff normally can at a branch, Torcoletti said.

The staff also works to meet the needs of the disabled.

“We offer delivery services using an SUV for those that can’t get to the bus or those that can’t use (the) materials by mail program, which is for those with disabilities and vision loss,” she said. “That’s a huge program we have with the U.S postal service that is free of charge.”

Nova’s routes aren’t published because the bus sometimes stops at private businesses or residential facilities that aren’t publicly accessible, Torcoletti said. But while Nova’s schedule isn’t listed, people can still request its services.

Myles, though, is open to the public, stopping at various locations. Myles typically visits daycares, preschools, after-school programs and summer camps.

Patrons interested in requesting a mobile library or delivery service can fill out a form on the library website.

“We’re a public service, and it’s free to all of our residents,” Barry said. “In Lexington County, we are tasked to reach people who may not be traditional library users. There are going to be some people in our community who are going to need extra help. And so we want to get them the information they need to live a fulfilled life.”