Bookmobile

/ˈbʊkməˌbil/ noun

Definition

A truck or van equipped as a traveling library that brings books to communities without access to library buildings.

Etymology

Compound of 'book' and 'mobile' (from Latin 'mobilis', meaning movable). This 20th-century American innovation solved the problem of library access in rural and underserved areas.

Kelly Says

Bookmobiles were the internet of the 1950s and 60s—they democratized book access for rural kids who might otherwise grow up without ever seeing a library. Some are still operating today, proving their worth.

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