Johnson County Public Library bringing the library to you

At its four locations, the Johnson County Public Library has made a wealth of knowledge easily available to residents.

People can access computers and free internet access, educational programs for people of all ages and, of course, thousands upon thousands of books, magazines, DVDs and more materials.

Most of those resources require people to travel to one of the library’s branches. But now, that treasure trove will be making its way to communities throughout the county.

The library system has unveiled its newest outreach effort — JCPL on Wheels. The bookmobile was created to bring high-demand books, movies and more to Johnson County neighborhoods. Library organizers also envision the vehicle bringing storytime, special activities and programming to events around the county.

“We’re going to be able to do such fun things — we can play music, we’ll have shade from awnings that fold out. We can bring people storytime programs. With our laptops, we can even do some technology education,” said April Windisch, outreach coordinator for the library system.

Having JCPL on Wheels available to the community will make it easier to connect with the people the library serves, while also reaching new people who have never used the library before, said Sarah Taylor, assistant director of the library.

“It allows us to be where we want to be, but be really flexible, because we bring the library with us wherever we want to go,” she said.

The library bookmobile has been in planning since 2020. When the federal government made funding from the American Rescue Plan Act available to communities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials felt it was a vital tool to reach people while keeping people safe, Taylor said.

Officials also wanted to bring library resources to people in one of the county’s growing communities — Bargersville, which does not have a library branch.

“As part of our current strategic plan, which we’re just wrapping up right now, one of the things we wanted to focus on was providing library services to Bargersville,” Taylor said. “We explored a few different options on how we could increase that presence in the community, and this is what we settled on.”

Johnson County Public Library leaders looked at a variety of vendors who could construct a bookmobile, and in 2021, placed their order after receiving a grant through the American Rescue Plan Act. Not only did funding help fabricate a mobile library, but it also provided money for laptops, books and more to stock the bookmobile.

But supply-chain delays with the company put those plans on hold.

Earlier in 2023, the vehicle finally arrived. Leaders tapped Bailey Kinder, the library’s graphic designer, to craft the graphics on either side of the van. She used actual library patrons to pose for the images that decorate the bookmobile.

For the past few weeks, staff members have been working to stock it with equipment, books and more.

“We’re going to be able to circulate more of our materials,” Windisch said. “People can request online a certain book that maybe we don’t have on the bookmobile, but we have in our collection, and we can bring it to them.”

JCPL on Wheels also serves as a mobile computer lab, bringing internet access out to the communities.

“We’ll have laptops and WiFi on the van, so they can access the internet. And we’re working on a printer, so if they have a document they need printed, they can do that right there — they don’t have to come to the branch,” Windisch said.

The bookmobile will operate on a fixed schedule week to week, visiting locations all over the county — places such as Kephart Park and the community center in Bargersville, Temple and Blue Heron parks in Franklin, Prince’s Lake Town Hall, the Nineveh Senior Center and more.

Organizers have also planned to stop at Hartshire Lakes and Stonehedge apartments throughout the month.

“We want to have a regular route so people can depend on us to be at particular places at particular times,” Taylor said.

JCPL on Wheels had its debut on Nov. 4 during a special event at Kephart Park in Bargersville. People could take part in a special storytime, check out books and meet Bibli, the library’s mascot.

The library held a coloring contest for local children, with the winner earning the right to officially cut the ribbon on the new vehicle. Harper Adcock, a 12-year-old student at Clark-Pleasant Middle School, was named the winner, and snipped the purple ribbon kicking off the event.

The grand opening was an exciting way to start a new era for the library.

“It’s extremely important for libraries now to make connections with people that maybe haven’t used the library before, or can’t get to one of our locations for whatever reason,” Taylor said. “We want to be sure the library is convenient for everybody, no matter what barriers they have or what the schedule will be like.”

AT A GLANCE

JCPL on Wheels

What: A traveling library program featuring the Johnson County Public Library’s new bookmobile.

Services: The bookmobile will bring high-demand books, movies and other resources to locations throughout the county. Laptops and WiFi connections will also allow people to take advantage of computer resources.

Locations and schedule

Bargersville Community Center, 14 W. Old South St. —11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Dec. 18; starting January 2024, fourth Monday of the month

Blue Heron Park, 405 Driftwood Ct., Franklin — 9:30-10:15 a.m. third Saturday of the month

Cub Pantry, 101 W. SR 44, Franklin — 4-5 p.m. first Thursday of the month

Hartshire Lakes Apartments, 3170 Hartshire S. Dr., Bargersville — 4-4:45 p.m. second and fourth Monday of the month

Independence Park, 2100 S. Morgantown Road, Greenwood — 10:45-11:45 a.m. first Saturday of the month, starting Dec. 2

Kephart Park, 3936 W. CR 144, Bargersville — 9:30-10:30 a.m. first Saturday of the month

Nineveh Senior Center, 3208 Rodeo Dr. — 2-3 p.m. Dec. 8; 1:30-2:30 p.m. second Friday of the month starting Jan. 12

Prince’s Lakes Town Hall, 14 E. Lakeview Dr., Nineveh — 4-5 p.m. first and third Tuesday of the month

Scott Park, 2016 Younce St., Franklin — 12:45-1:30 p.m. third Saturday of the month

Stonehedge Apartments, 1563 Stonehedge W. Dr., Greenwood — 4-4:30 p.m. second and fourth Thursday of the month

Temple Park, 1501 Younce St., Franklin — 5:30-6 p.m. first and third Thursday of the month

Windisch Park, 248 N. West St., Bargersville — 10:45-11:15 a.m. third Saturday of the month

Witt Park, 147 East St., Bargersville — 4-4:45 p.m. first and third Monday of the month

Information: pageafterpage.org/wheels