Mobile Library Spreads Services Around the County
By MARK BELTON County Administrator and JANET SALAZAR Library Executive Director
Feb 15, 2019

Books open the imagination and bring life to fictional and non-fictional stories. The Charles County Public Library helps to bring these endless possibilities to our community through online databases, digital resources and so much more. In order to reach residents throughout the county, the library’s Mobile Services Department, which includes the Mobile Library truck and outreach van, provides home delivery of books, materials and programs to those unable to travel to a library location. While the library has had mobile services since 1950 with the first Book-Mobile, the Mobile Library truck was launched in May 2017, and is on the road 20 days of each month, serving individual residents and groups in Charles County.

The Mobile Library truck is a 26-foot-long vehicle with a wheelchair lift, side awning for outdoor programs, two public computer stations and the capacity to hold up to 2,000 items. It offers access to adult, teen and children’s collections, online resources and databases and free Wi-Fi. The library’s Mobile Services branch provides several monthly services. One of these is homebound service, which delivers library materials to individuals who are homebound due to illness or disability, via the library’s outreach van. The Mobile Services Outreach Van also offers story time programs for childcare providers and centers licensed through the Office of Child Care Licensing and Regulations. These are also available to public and private schools, Head Start, and preschool classrooms that meet the age and child requirements.

You can also enjoy a range of special programs and workshops offered throughout the year, as scheduling allows, such as presentations in nursing homes, senior gatherings, summer camps and family centers. The Charles County Public Library creates opportunities for the community to engage, discover and learn throughout the year. If you have not visited your local library, consider making it your new year’s resolution to find the location closest to you and seeing its offerings, or by checking out the Mobile Library offerings. For the Mobile Library calendar or for more information about the Mobile Library, visit www.ccplonline.org/mobile-services/, or contact the Mobile Services Department by phone at 301-456-4333 or by email at mobileservices@ccplonline.org. We hope to see you this year — with a handful of books, researching your latest interest, participating in one of the programs or visiting our next Mobile Library stop.