about driving the bookmobile

In 1975 I accepted the position of Manager at the Florenceville Public Library.    At that time the Florenceville Library was part of the York Library system and supervised from the upriver headquarters in Woodstock.  In addition to the branches a bookmobile also operated out of that location.

I was always one to enjoy new experiences so after I had been employed for a few months I had the opportunity to go out on the bookmobile.  The crew consisted of the driver and a Bookmobile librarian, a role I willingly played.  Many of the patrons on the bookmobile route were housebound and we were their main contact with the outside.  Although the bookmobile could only hold a thousand or two volumes these books were chosen with care.  There is adult fiction of all genres, nonfiction, teen and children’s novels, children’s nonfiction, picture books, paper backs and magazines.  The selection is rejuvenated before each outing to reflect the interests of the patrons on the route.  In addition patrons can make requests and some would have as many as a dozen titles to sign out.

The winter of 1985/86 was cold and snowy in Carleton/Victoria County.  My seven mile trek to work could be a challenge.  Then one morning I received a call from my supervisor inquiring if I still had a Class one licence.  I replied that indeed I did, I had acquired this some years ago when driving truck with my husband.   “Good”, said my supervisor, “You are taking out the bookmobile today”.  She went on to say that both the bookmobile driver and the librarian were sick with the flu. Betsy herself would take the Bookmobile but she had sprained her ankle and did not think she could navigate the snow packed back roads. Soon she arrived at my library and hauled herself up the long flight of stairs.  Betsy had made it up the TransCanada from Woodstock but there was no question of her driving further.

I received my instructions, I reviewed the route.  This was long, long before cell phones.  I was on my own.  I backtracked from Florenceville and headed out toward Mount Pleasant.  Now Mount Pleasant is a community only a few miles from my old home in Fielding.  The village was apt named, I thought of that winding stretch of road with a sheer precipice on the right side.  The side I would be travelling.  

I made my scheduled stop in the center of the village and between patrons took the opportunity to eat my lunch.  Each person’s description of the roads was more ominous.  It started to snow.   I put the big, awkward vehicle in gear and continued on.  As I rounded the curve by the school I noticed something amiss, sawhorses were blocking the right lane, I was forced to drive on the wrong side. As I drove farther I realized the road had been salted and sanded, and then I saw a group of men by the side of the road.  I stopped. They told me that their wives had received a call from my supervisor.  They were worried about me so they had arranged salt and sand and a shutdown lane for the tricky seven miles of my route.  There would be men all along the road should I need help. No one offered to drive the bookmobile.

Vavielle and Leisa summer 1976

 I made it through the tricky part, navigated down over the West Gordonsville hill and turned on to the Black Brook Road.  All level road here and only a few miles from my home.  My last stop was at the Fielding Baptist church.  How proud I was to pull over and serve my neighbours.  As I was busy stamping out books I heard a cry “Mummy!” and there were my daughters Vavielle and Leisa, just eight and three at the time.  I never knew who told them I would be there.  It must have been their father who brought them to see me.  The patrons were delighted to see the girls and they enjoyed their time playing librarian.  My truck driving husband did offer to take the Bookmobile in to the library.  I refused his offer. 

I cannot remember if I was called on for repeat engagements. However this one performance so stood out in Vavielles’s memory that she asked me to write a blog about when Mummy drove the Bookmobile.