Picking up a Linwood Barclay novel off the shelf, 94-year-old Ethel tells me “I love a good thriller - I like the blood and guts!”
I am in the mobile library in the village of Whitton, a small community in Stockton Borough. I have hopped on board as it parks up on its route for the day and I get to chat to the borrowers who would otherwise struggle to access a library.
This month the BBC reported that more than 180 council-run libraries have either closed or been handed over to volunteer groups in the UK in the past eight years. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the report found it was more deprived communities that have seen the closure of publicly funded libraries.
As an enthusiastic library goer, I see first hand that libraries offer so much more than a book loaning service. As well as the computer suites, Wi-Fi, advice and support services, libraries offer human contact. And that is just as important as having the current chart-toppers on the shelves.
Here in Teesside, Stockton Council is bucking that trend of library closures and has indeed recently invested in their mobile library service, replacing the former vehicle with a fully electric one making it more eco friendly as it takes to the streets across the Borough visiting communities which do not have easy access to a static library. The mobile library service runs on a three-weekly schedule, visiting on a set day and time in a designated place.
The village of Whitton is not served by a bus route and as the mobile library pulls up on the edge of the village green, it is unmissable with its painted exterior and the words ‘flight of imagination’ written across the bus.
I’m here to meet Senior Library and Information Assistant Steve Whitehouse who is joined by the mobile library driver Andy.
Kitted out with hundreds of books, the bus also has a desk for Steve’s computer, a noticeboard packed with posters advertising upcoming events and public health notices as well as a selection of jigsaws to borrow. It is a fully stocked library on the go. We are soon joined by regular book borrowers Ethel and Chris who look forward to seeing the vehicle pull up every three weeks. In fact, Chris tells me: “I don’t drive, so if it wasn’t for this mobile library, I wouldn’t be able to access the books.”
As Ethel and Chris catch up with Steve and Andy, it is obvious that the two women view this as a social occasion as well as the chance to pick up their latest book haul. They chat and laugh and Ethel says: “It’s nice seeing the guys and to be honest I’d like it if they came here every week!”
After helping Chris choose some new reading material (I spot a Milly Johnson romantic novel among the pile), Steve tells me about his role. He says: “I’ve been in the role for four years and it really is a popular service. We have a lot of regulars and for many it is a lifeline and the opportunity to have regular human contact. It is a social space and people come here to chat with each other.”
Steve’s father was also a mobile librarian for the former Cleveland County Council, so it is something of a family career. As well as visiting the more rural villages in the Borough, the library also heads to housing estates and attends events. Steve adds: “Part of our work is outreach so we visit care homes and I take my guitar along and we do musical reminiscence sessions as music can help unlock memories and connect people. We also have dedicated school weeks where we get pupils to come along. We really are a mobile community hub.”
Each year, 14,000 residents use the mobile library service with 40,000 books borrowed proving it is a page-turner of a service to residents.
Councillor Steve Nelson, Stockton Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Leisure and Culture, says: “Libraries have always been an incredibly important part of my life and I can vividly remember the first time, as a child, I could go along and borrow books on my own. As we hear about the cuts to libraries across the country, I am delighted with this new investment into our library service. During and post Covid social isolation was a real problem and we wanted to see what more we could do.
“Libraries are about so much more than accessing books and I am sure the new mobile library will be popular with residents on its weekly rounds across the Borough and at some of the events we hold in our parks.”
As the mobile library prepares to head to its next destination, Andy helps to carry Ethel’s books as she gets off the vehicle and Steve tells me what the most popular books are with the Borough’s readers. “LJ Ross - we can’t keep those on the shelves,” he says. “Michael Connelly and Lee Child are always a hit as is historical saga writer Rosie Goodwin.”
From crime to cookery, horror to history and pretty much everything in between, there is something for everyone in the mobile library.
I would urge anyone who has a library, mobile or otherwise, in their neighbourhood to use it. Books take you to places otherwise unknown and let your imagination run free. If you are lucky enough to have a mobile library pass near your house you could do far worse than book yourself in for a wheely good read. Word up!
Images: Stuart Bolton
