Susie and Joan Stephenson of Port Joli visit the Bookmobile recently at its stop in Port Mouton. (Rick Conrad)

It’s the last one in Nova Scotia. And it’s still motoring along the South Shore.

Each week, the Bookmobile brings books, DVDs and other materials to about 15 communities in Lunenburg and Queens counties, from Chester to Caledonia.

A mobile library has been operating on the South Shore since the 1970s.

Other library systems around Nova Scotia have stopped the service. The Cape Breton Regional Library had the only other one and it retired its Bookmobile in November 2024.

So now, the South Shore has the only remaining Bookmobile in the province. And it shows no signs of slowing down.

Ashley Nunn-Smith is the CEO and chief librarian of South Shore Public Libraries.

“Our Bookmobile has been on the road for 50 years. But it’s much beloved, it’s very much a fabric of the community. For example, a few weeks ago, we had someone bring the books out to Caledonia in their van because the Bookmobile was having some mechanical issues and not only did people come out to pick up their items, but they had almost like a tailgate party. They just hung around the back of the van and chatted with their neighbours. There was nothing keeping them there other than that sense of community.

“It’s not just about the books, although that’s wonderful to drive books out to people. It’s really about a sense of community.”

Joan Stephenson of Port Joli was at a recent Bookmobile stop at Coastal Queens Place in Port Mouton. Stephenson and her daughter Susie are some of the regular patrons the Bookmobile serves every three weeks at this location. It visits certain communities on a weekly basis, while others are on a tri-weekly schedule.

“We remember when we had to fight to get a Bookmobile because the county didn’t want it,” Stephenson says. “And instead they put streetlights on our road and fought the Bookmobile, and we said it’s a different kind of enlightenment.”

In 2021, the library put a new custom-built Bookmobile on the road at a cost of about $500,000, with an accessibility lift, Wi-fi and seven electrical outlets where people can charge their devices.

Last year, the mobile service had an average of 1,100 monthly visitors who checked out 3,000 items, accounting for about 15 per cent of the library’s overall visits and circulation. Fuel and maintenance take up about two per cent of the library’s total $1.9-million operating budget.

Nunn-Smith says that because the South Shore has fewer physical library locations than other library systems around Nova Scotia, having the Bookmobile is essential.

“I think that by having the library on wheels we can bring it to more spaces than we would be able to reach with brick and mortar locations. We’re able to reach more communities that we wouldn’t be able to otherwise. We reach Port Mouton and Mill Village. Those places, it wouldn’t be feasible to operate a library branch, and so we’re able to bring the library to them.”

Susie Stephenson says she remembers the anticipation as a kid waiting for the Bookmobile to visit, a feeling she still has years later.

“When we lived in Broad River, we all went and we’d come home with clothes baskets full of books. The eight of us would just sit around and read. And you’d do it until you had to eat.

“It makes it accessible and it keeps me in reading material. And it keeps me interested and not depressed. I can sit and read a book and look at it. … I’ll take two or three bags lots of times.”

Her mother Joan says it’s something she looks forward to every three weeks.

“I can’t be away too long. My husband’s disabled. So it’s fun to come here. And the wonderful thing is the people who drive and work on the Bookmobile over all these years we’ve had it have always become our friends. They know what you’re looking for and we laugh. They want to know how your trip was or how your surgery was. They become friends.

“We love it. We love the Bookmobile. I’m an old lady and hopefully it will outlive me.”

The Bookmobile visits Caledonia every Saturday from 10 a.m to noon in the NSLC parking lot. It will be back in Mill Village at the fire hall on April 4 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. and in Port Mouton at Coastal Queens Place on April 4 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

You can find the schedule for the Bookmobile on the South Shore Public Libraries website.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Listen to the audio version of this story below

South Shore Public Libraries new Bookmobile. Photo Ed Halverson

South Shore Public Libraries has replaced their aging mobile library with a state of the art, purpose-built bookmobile.

Driver and library clerk Dave Smith says the new vehicle comes with a new name as a nod to the way the service is already perceived in the community.

“You know, I’ve been with the library for many years, I always associate it, it’s the bookmobile and when you go into communities people always say, oh the bookmobile is there, which is great. Nice to have it back,” said Smith.

The library’s new bookmobile has the wide variety of books and videos patrons have come to expect as well as several new advantages over the previous version.

The old mobile library was, essentially, a repurposed school bus. The aisle was narrow, climate controls were basically non-existent and it was difficult for anyone with mobility issues to gain access.

The new bookmobile features a wide aisle and brightly lit shelves. It is fully air-conditioned and heated and has an accessible lift at the end to allow people with mobility issues to come on and freely access any part of the vehicle.

Bookmobile staff Dave Smith and Crystal Madill. Photo Ed Halverson

Crystal Madill has worked with South Shore Public Libraries for almost 40 years, the past 12 years in the mobile library.

She says the new bus creates a social environment where people can come in, sit on one of the two opposing benches and browse the collection while interacting with their neighbours.

“You can sit down and enjoy the atmosphere. This is also very much a community spot,” said Madill. “So they sit on the benches and have a little chat and a visit with each other and gossip.”

A couple of bookmobile patrons enjoy a chat on the new benches. Photo Ed Halverson

That community hub mentality extends outside the bookmobile as well.

A large antenna allows people to connect wirelessly to high speed internet, something that is sorely lacking in many of the communities the bookmobile visits.

The new bookmobile further integrates itself into the community by providing an awning for shade, and a white board and speakers that allow the vehicle to show movies.

External outlets powered either by an inverter or generator provide people a place to plug in their laptops or even charge their electronics in the event of an emergency.

Smith and Madill say patrons have been giving the new bookmobile rave reviews since it launched in late July.

A schedule for stops in Queens county can be found by visiting South Shore Public Libraries website.

E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

To listen to the broadcast of this story, press play below.