Mobile library service

BRINGING YOU BOOKS ON WHEELS
If you can’t get to your local library did you know it can get to you?
Northamptonshire County Councils has 36 libraries in towns and villages across the county but not everybody is able visit one on a regular basis. The Libraries and
Information Service’s mobile libraries provide a highly-valued, friendly and personal service to those members of the community unable to travel to their local library.
This September a new timetable was introduced after a year-long review of use of the service, including consultation with customers and parish and town councils. Stops that attracted very few or no regular customers have been removed to allow the service to visit new areas of the county and to extend the time it spends at popular stops and sheltered housing schemes. Although the majority of stops will continue to be in rural communities, the mobiles will also serve outlying areas of our large towns, where they can be found in places as diverse as community centres and pub car parks.
Our 6 mobile libraries between them visit over 600
locations across the county. Each mobile makes regular visits every 2 or 3 weeks offering a range of books for all ages. There are also books in large print, audio books and
CDs. It is free and easy to register and even if you use the mobile library you can still use your library ticket at other libraries in any of the towns or villages you visit.
Books are borrowed free of charge and items such as audio books and CDs are hired for a small fee.
Concessions apply for those of retirement age and people with a visual impairment or other disability.
From September the mobile libraries will also have access to the library catalogue on board so staff can check the availability of titles from the huge range of stock in other
Northamptonshire libraries. These can be requested for a small fee.
Copies of the new timetable are available from mobile libraries. You can also obtain details of stops near you from main libraries or by contacting Enquire Direct the
Libraries and Information Service’s online and telephone enquiry service.
E-mail: enquiredirect@northamptonshire.gov.uk, or telephone [phone number removed] or text: [phone number removed]. The service is also available through the Northamptonshire
County Council Website www.northamptonshire.gov.uk.
Mobile Facts
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Each vehicle weighs about 7.5 tons & is 8m long, 2.3m wide & 3m high – and quite a challenge to drive on some of
Northamptonshire’s narrow roads!
To keep the service going there is a rigorous safety
& maintenance programme for each vehicle. In addition to annual MOT tests, they have a regular eight-
week safety inspection
Each mobile is fitted with a lift for disabled people
& there is a programme to fit induction loops for people with hearing impairment.
The vehicles are replaced every 10 years or less (2
new ones in the past 12
months)
Each mobile library carries approx 2,500
items of stock