LIBRARY STARTS CAMPAIGN FOR BOOK MOBILE

A book mobile for the Cape Girardeau Public Library would mean people who can't get to the library would still have access to its books.

Sounds simple? Library officials think so, too. But the challenge is raising enough money from private contributions to pay for the book mobile and 15,000 books.

"I can't think of anything that would enhance literacy programs more than this book mobile program," said Terry Risko, library director. "It's equivalent to a small branch library that's connected by computer to the library."

A fund-raising campaign that supporters hope will raise $123,000 for the book mobile kicks off Saturday during the Southeast Missouri State University homecoming parade.

Risko said the book mobile the library hopes to purchase will cost $93,000. Another $30,000 is earmarked for the purchase of 5,000 books and operating costs for two years, he said.

"There has never been a book mobile in Cape," Risko said. "This book mobile would serve people who live a distance from the library, or can't get to the library."

Plans call for the book mobile to travel around the city, visiting schools, nursing homes and stopping at various locations in the city, such as the Del Farm National parking lot. In all, the book mobile will make regular stops in 30 locations.

According to Risko, the book mobile will be most useful to school children, who may not have many opportunities to visit the public library.

"It's a major thing for children, especially those whose parents both have jobs and may not have the time to bring their kids to the library," he said. "It's a long walk to the library from some areas of the city."

Books in the mobile collection will be rotated, Risko said. Forty percent will be children's books and 60 percent, adult books. Information on job skills and literacy programs will also be available from the mobile unit.

Shaped like a huge school bus, the mobile unit the Cape Girardeau library hopes to purchase will be 36 feet long and equipped with a wheelchair lift. It will be hooked up by computer to the main library, to allow for access to the card catalog, he said.

"If someone is interested in a particular book, they can look it up on the computer and request it," he said. "We'll be able to bring it to them the next time the book mobile is in that area."

The library plans to purchase a book mobile similar to one that will participate in Saturday's parade, which begins at 9 a.m. at Capaha Park. A reception will be held at the library after the parade so people can take a peak inside the mobile unit.

Risko said the book mobile will help satisfy an "incredible need for library outreach" in Cape Girardeau.

He said because of a lack of public transportation in the city, people who live in outlying areas sometimes find it difficult to get to the library. He said a book mobile is an economical alternative to constructing branch libraries.

"It's the quickest and cheapest way to provide outreach library services to a community this size," he said.

Once the money is raised, Risko said, the library can order a book mobile, which could take eight months to build. If one is available for purchase, it could mean a much shorter wait, he said. The mobile would stop at each designated place for several hours every two weeks, and a schedule of stops will be published, he said.

Several individuals have already contributed to the book mobile fund or have made pledges to it. Risko said several business are expected to begin contributing on Saturday.

Risko said he is a firm believer in the value of mobile libraries.

"If we get this unit," he said, "you'll see a change in the reading level in the community and in the schools. In five years, you'll see an improvement."

For information on contributing to the book mobile fund, call the library at 334-5279.