“I think it’s great because it means that the library isn’t just a single building or a single space. This is bringing the library to the community as well, and that truly is the key is that while we want people to come through the doors, we also want to be out into the community as well,” Scott said. “And this is a very unique and great opportunity to do that.”

The event, which was (coincidentally or not) held on National Book Lovers Day, highlighted the 125-year history of the MPL, a Carnegie library made possible by a $30,000 contribution (about $1.2 million in today’s dollars) from the famous 19th century industrialist and all of the ways it has continued to grow and evolve in the modern era, including moving into the current award-winning building on West Boone Street 15 years ago and navigating through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Marshalltown is always a leader. We always touch everything,” MPL Director Sarah Rosenblum said.

According to Rosenblum, she first applied for a federal grant to support a bookmobile program in the early days of the pandemic, but it didn’t stop the MPL from finding funds from a number of sources — the city of Marshalltown, Friends of the Marshalltown Public Library, the estate of the late Bob Brucklacher, the Assistance League of Marshalltown, the State Library of Iowa and the family and friends of Ellen Harbaugh. In all, it cost about $200,000 to purchase and equip the vehicle.

MOBI Driver Cher Weaver, right, shows off the inside of the vehicle to Marshalltown Mayor Joel Greer and State Librarian Michael Scott after the ribbon cutting on Wednesday morning.

After cutting the ribbon inside of the library due to sporadic rain showers, Rosenblum, Scott, MPL Board of Trustees President Tonya Gaffney and State Director of Library Programs Brenda Hall all reflected on what MOBI will mean to the community — currently, it’s one of only a handful of such vehicles in the state — and how it will improve outreach efforts.

“You used the right word. MOBI is an outreach vehicle, so right now, we’re in a pilot mode, which will probably be a few months, so we’ve been working with the school (district),” Rosenblum said. “We know transportation is a huge barrier in our community, and we hope that MOBI is a tool that we can use to bridge that.”

Library staffer Cher Weaver will do the honors of driving MOBI alongside the stuffed panda posted up in the passenger’s seat, which, in addition to a boatload of books and a projector screen, is also equipped with solar panels to help power the interior (the engine itself still runs on gas). It made its big public debut during Bee Ridiculous Day downtown, and all of the wraps were designed locally by Sign Creations.

“It’s that basic idea of getting out where people are (and) meeting their needs,” Hall said. “Even the level of youth books I see stocked on there right now just helps to increase early literacy throughout the community and early literacy for everyone.”

Gaffney had a simple way of describing the project — more books for people who want to read. Rosenblum did clarify, however, that the books will need to be checked out and returned, although there could be opportunities for giveaways to those who wish to keep their materials. While the local school buildings will be the main stopping point initially, Gaffney and Rosenblum are also optimistic about potentially partnering with assisted living facilities and nursing homes and even going farther out into underserved areas of the county in the future.

Marshalltown Public Library Director Sarah Rosenblum, holding scissors, cuts the ribbon on the bookmobile known as MOBI during a ceremony held Wednesday morning.

“I’d say they started with schools because we have a pretty strong relationship already with the library. We’ve been working so that students can check out books with their ID numbers and a library card isn’t a problem,” Gaffney said. “Once they get all the kinks worked out, then we can go to (something) broader.”

Hall and Scott hope Marshalltown can serve as an example for other cities looking to implement similar programs.

“Having libraries in Iowa that have a service like this, they become the model for other libraries, and they also become that resource to go to them and ask them questions about the very things you were just saying,” Hall said.

MOBI will be temporarily parked in a secure overnight location until a permanent home is constructed by the end of the year, if all goes according to plan. The vehicle features the word ‘Welcome’ in 30 different languages to reflect the diversity of Marshalltown, and it will be hitting the road stocked with youth and young adult books to ensure that youngsters around the community never have to struggle to find something to read.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or

rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.