The Chestermere Public Library is going mobile this summer with a book bike.
The book bike acts as a portable library, offering material to borrow, free Wi-Fi, and programming everywhere it rolls.
Throughout the summer, members of the library will visit local events, including Wellness Wednesdays, and community pop-up dates with the book bike.
“Once we arrive at the location, we will open our book bike to allow people to borrow any item or material we have brought with us, sign up for a library card, or participate in our programs right at the bike,” library marketing and social media coordinator Spencer McDonald said.
Book bikes were first introduced to libraries across the country in 2008, and since then have continued to gain popularity.
“A few libraries in Alberta also have book bikes such as Red Deer, Camrose, and Airdrie, and with this, we were able to build on their knowledge and experience to make our book bike a reality,” McDonald said.
It was important for the library to offer the book bike to the community, as it provides further services and outreach to more areas of Chestermere.
“With this, we can bring the library closer to you,” McDonald said. “To us at the library, having a book bike means we can add a new level of accessibility, visibility, and convenience to library services.”
The book bike will allow the library to visit more places such as the beach and reach more people who may have not visited the library before or known about the events and programs at the library throughout the summer.
As the community has continued to grow, the library has seen a surge in new patron use, demand for programs, space, and more outreach.
“The book bike effectively gives us another smaller location to be able to provide services and programming,” McDonald said. “This helps to facilitate easier outdoor programming and allows more room for creativity for the types of programs we can do.”
Funding for the book bike was possible through the City of Chestermere’s 2022 Community Grant.
“We would love to thank the City of Chestermere, and we are very thankful for the ability to provide the book bike to the community,” McDonald said.
