The sides of the vehicle would open up and people would come to browse the books which were neatly placed on bookshelves. It was a great way to bring the library to communities, especially to the children. Turn of the River, Belltown, Glenbrook and North Stamford communities that benefited from the local visit; after all the city had only one library at that time.
Sometime in the early 1940's, the Bookmobile was upgraded into a vehicle resembling a tiny school bus pictured below.
A Stamford resident sent Ferguson Library this photo for its archives. It was taken on Webb's Hill Road off of Long Ridge Road during the winter of 1942 when he was 6 years old. He says he remembers "the excitement of the arrival of the bookmobile and going up inside. Somehow the shelves would be pulled down and opened up, but I don't remember the details."
Today the Bookmobile can be seen in its latest incarnation all about town.
Last Wednesday, I was able to catch up with the Bookmobile as it was parked at the Glenbrook/Shop-Rite Center from 12:15 to 2:15. The rains from tropical storm Lee had just let up and I stopped at the Bookmobile just to check out the latest offerings.
What a surprise I was in for!
I was delighted to find the latest in fiction, non-fiction and DVDs and the staff friendly and helpful in locating items.
I quickly found a copy of Senator Joe Lieberman's just published book The Gift of Rest: Rediscovering the Beauty of the Sabbath, John Grisham's latest novel, The Confession and the Coen brothers cult movie A Serious Man, on DVD.
The schedule for the Bookmobile through January 2012 can be found on the Ferguson website.
So, in these extremely difficult economic times, take a moment to patronize this valuable free resource when it visits your neighborhood and keep a Stamford legacy going.
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