Gratia Countryman

Title: Bookmobile Article
Type: Newspaper
Date: May 12, 1922
Source: Minneapolis Journal

Description: One of Ms. Countryman's solutions to the problem of limited library access was to create a "bookmobile" to bring library books to the homes and workplaces of local citizens.

Transcription:

He couldn't come to the library, so the library went to him.

Miss Gratia Countryman, public librarian, killed two birds with one stone when she was invited to address the annual convention of the Tenth District Minnesota Federation of Women's clubs at Excelsior, and piloted Hennepin county's new library truck on its maiden voyage.

The library truck is the first one to be put in operation by a county in Minnesota. Its regular pilgrimages Trips. to communities or individuals in all parts of Hennepin county who want volumes from the shelves at the Minneapolis Public library will begin June 1.

On its first trip, the trial run to Excelsior, Miss Countryman took 200 books to Excelsior readers. When regular trips begin, Miss Pauline Field, now a member of the Wisconsin library commission will be chauffeur Paid driver. and librarian. Miss Field was for several years in the reference department of the Minneapolis library.

"The library will deliver at 115 points in Hennepin county where they have small community shelves," Miss Countryman said, "in addition to supplying the needs of every farm house on the road, if the occupants of the house will tell us what they want." Miss Clara Baldwin of St. Paul, state librarian, said suburbanites People living in areas surrounding a city. were so anxious to get a traveling library that they made a request that a tax of 1 mill be levied Collected. to provide it.