Bookmobile Storage & Maintenance Questions

[Joshua]

Good afternoon,

We are looking into purchasing a bookmobile but are still deciding where to keep it. Since I work in Ohio, weather is an important factor.

For those further north, have you kept a bookmobile outside? If so, did you notice issues with your materials?

Also, how much does your library typically budget for yearly maintenance?

Thank you everyone!

From,

Joshua McPeek

Muskingum County Library System

Outreach Services Manager

[M Freidhof]

We are in Kentucky with a Sprinter/Freightliner. We don't have storage for our truck and haven't had many issues. This winter though we were off the road for almost a week because of very thick ice on the roof that I was afraid would fly off while driving. We haven't had issues with playaways or other similar audiobooks in the heat or cold but do remove the batteries from the devices. We also don't store computer/hotspot on the truck overnight. Humidity has caused some waving of pages, especially those in the rear of the truck. 

Marilyn Freidhof 

Outreach Coordinator

Bookmobile Services

175 Beacon Hill Rd 

Morehead, KY 40351

(606)-784-7137 xt 406

Bookmobile Cell 606-776-2790

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[Joshua]

Thank you, that is very helpful! That is good to know about your materials. I will definitely keep in mind taking devices off like our laptops and hotspot.

From,

Joshua

[MaryLei Barclay]

We are located in Northeast Minnesota. It has been crucial to have our Bookmobile in a heated garage overnight, particularly since we have a diesel engine. I know it is a pain to try and clear the windows of snow and ice when we are at stops during bad weather.

Looking at our budget lines, it looks like we have 2 budget lines for maintenance. Our $25,000 budget is for regular, expected service (i.e. oil changes, diesel fuel, DEF fluid, DOT inspection). We have $5,000 budget line for unexpected maintenance (for example, the radiator hose blew driving home and that budget line was used to pay to tow it to the mechanic and fix the hose.)

MaryLei Barclay

Bookmobile Coordinator

Arrowhead Library System

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[Denise Sticha]

I like the idea of having two budget lines - one for regular maintenance and one for unanticipated issues!

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[Kat Robinson Board Member 4]

Hello,

I am in North Carolina and have issues with humidity and heat. We have a cover that we park our Bookmobile under. That helps with sun damage and snow, when we get it. I have found that if I keep my Bookmobile fully stocked, we have no issues with the pages of our books. We also rotate out books on a regular basis. The longest a book is on the Bookmobile is 4 months. 

We never store our batteries for Playaways out here, but we do keep our laptops and tablets in the Bookmobile. We have little to no issues with that.

We do have a regular maintenance schedule where we check all the fluids, tires, belts etc...I have a presentation at the ABOS conference this year on just that subject. Regular maintenance helps keep the wear and tear down on a vehicle and helps to catch smaller issues before they become larger.

I would highly suggest you come to the ABOS conference in October (if you are not already). There are so many conversations and presentations that would help support your new venture. I have learned so much from going and it is great to learn from others as well.

Hope this helps - Kat Robinson

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Kat Robinson

Board Member At Large, Association of Bookmobile and Outreach Services

Bookmobile and Outreach Coordinator

Rockingham County, NC

Co-Chair, Conference Planning

Committee, Long Range Planning  

www.abos-outreach.com