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A child and two women dressed in 1950s clothing standing in front of a bookmobile.

History of the Bookmobile

History of the Bookmobile

Since the 1940’s, the Tuscaloosa Public Library’s bookmobile has traveled the back roads, neighborhoods, schools, and community centers of Tuscaloosa County, carrying something far more valuable than books alone. It has delivered opportunity, education, and connection to residents who might otherwise have had limited access to library services.
 
Below is a brief timeline of the bookmobile and its services since the beginning.
A child and two women dressed in 1950s clothing standing in front of a bookmobile. TPL Bookmobile Big Al in Bookmobile

Bookmobile Timeline

1944

  • Tuscaloosa Public Library launches its first bookmobile, providing service to approximately 56 homes each month.

1947

  • The Tuscaloosa Civitan Club raises funds for a new bookmobile, expanding service throughout the county and supporting outlying schools.

1953

  • The Tuscaloosa County Bookmobile undergoes extensive renovations to extend the life of the vehicle.

1954

  • The Civitan Club helps fund a new bookmobile, which debuts in April.
  • The previous vehicle is transferred to the County Board of Education and provides library services to African American residents throughout Tuscaloosa County.

1958

  • Bookmobile service is temporarily discontinued.

1961

  • Service is again discontinued from lack of funding.

1965

  • Bookmobile service resumes, restoring library outreach to communities across the county.

1982

  • Bookmobile service is discontinued again, this time for more than a decade.

1995

  • The Tuscaloosa Public Library revives the bookmobile program, which now operates 10 routes and travels approximately 150 miles each week, serving communities throughout Tuscaloosa County.

2009

  • Service expands to two vehicles.

2010

  • The original vehicle purchased for the 1995 revival is retired and sold.

2014

  • The Bookmobile Department is reduced from five full-time staff members to two, with one vehicle remaining in operation.

2026

  • The Tuscaloosa Public Library Foundation successfully raises $360,000 to purchase a new bookmobile, anticipated to be launched sometime in 2027.

From its first routes in 1944 to its continued service today, the Tuscaloosa Public Library bookmobile remains a symbol of the library’s commitment to meeting readers where they are.