Merced County Library relies on tried-and-true reading machine: The bookmobile
In an era of the Kindle and the iPad, the Merced County Library is counting on an old-fashioned but historically useful way to get kids to read.
The bookmobile.
And with local literacy rates at record lows and school dropout rates more than 30 percent, the ability to read well matters more than ever.
The Merced County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday authorized the library to apply for a federal grant to buy the bookmobile. Nearly $200,000 could be funded partially or all by the federal government, while $66,000 would come out of the library trust fund, according to Jacque Meriam, Merced County librarian.
She already applied for the grant at the end of July. Now, with the county's formal authorization, the waiting game begins to see if the library gets it. The money would come from a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Grant.
The library wants to buy a bookmobile -- or a 36-foot bus -- and park it in the Planada School District. The school district doesn't have a library, and the bus will provide much-needed literacy help for kids and families unable to access books and Internet in their area.
The push stems from a lapse in literacy levels in the county's rural areas. There are no library services in Planada, with a population of about 1,760 people, or in the area of El Nido, with about 795 people, the librarian said.
"The closest library to them is in Le Grand," she added.
Fifty-five percent of the people in Merced County can't read or read at the lowest two proficient levels, according to Pamela Cornelison, literacy coordinator for the library, who used the U.S. Census Bureau and other government agencies to estimate the number. She said the lowest level is considered illiterate. As for one level up, "You can read and get by, but you may not be able to evaluate more complex materials."
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 35 percent of Merced County adults 25 and older have not graduated from high school -- and may not even have gone to high school, Cornelison said. "If you go to the younger ages, ages 18- to 24-year-olds, nearly 30 percent are high school dropouts," she said. "We keep trying to catch up."
Meriam said she is excited about partnering with the school district.
"As you know, we do have a county library in Le Grand; oftentimes residents can't get to it," said Steve Gomes, superintendent of the Planada Elementary School District. "I think that it's an excellent opportunity to be able to partner like that and share resources."
He is also the Merced County superintendent of schools-elect and will take over early next year.
The bookmobile would probably employ one person. Meriam said she hopes to provide wireless access in the bus so people can access the Internet.
And it would include what the main library like the Merced County Library offers: books, DVDs, CDs, books on tape and possibly some magazines, she said.
Another perk of being part of the San Joaquin Valley Library System is that a resident can put anything on hold at a local branch, it will arrive at the Merced library and then go out to the resident's area, Meriam said. The same thing could be done for the bookmobile.
"I would love to be able to go to areas like homebound folks, retirement centers, some extended care facilities, nursing homes," Meriam said. "The idea is that (the bookmobile) be able to drive out to El Nido one day a week."
California has 69 bookmobiles, second-most in the nation, according to statemaster.com. If Meriam gets the grant, there'll be one more where it's needed -- Planada.
Reporter Ameera Butt can be reached at (209) 385-2477 or abutt@mercedsun-star.com.
This story was originally published August 12, 2010 at 1:12 AM with the headline "Merced County Library relies on tried-and-true reading machine: The bookmobile."