Library on the Move: The New Generation

On Monday, November 18, 1940, Worcester Public Library celebrated the launch of a new service: our first official bookmobile! As we celebrate the 85th anniversary of that historic launch, here is a brief history of the latest iteration of bookmobiles, including Libby (and Libby's second edition) and Lilly.

The Original Libby, circa June 2013

As we previously wrote, the story of the Worcester Public Library's bookmobiles came to a halt in 1991 when the budget cuts took effect and the Proposition 2 1/2 override vote failed. The Kids' Stop vehicle came out of retirement to serve the Great Brook Valley community in 1994 when the Great Brook Valley Branch temporarily closed to move from 87 Tacoma Street to a larger newly renovated space at 89 Tacoma Street. Great Brook Valley Branch would reopen in January 1995.

In June 2001, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette announced that the City Council had agreed to allocate $304,348 to acquire and staff a Worcester Public Library bookmobile. At the time, Head Librarian Penny Johnson hoped that perhaps the bookmobile could even be in service as early as February 2002. City Manager Thomas R. Hoover indicated that it would initially cost $150,000 to purchase the vehicle, $80,000 to staff it during the first year, and the rest of the funds would be used for the materials such as books, furniture, and computers. The bookmobile drivers wouldn't need a special driver's license such as a CDL to operate this new vehicle.

The community was incredibly excited about the prospect of having a bookmobile back in Worcester after a decade's absence. According to one patron, Ms. Dow, losing the bookmobile service all those years ago meant "those of us who love to read lost our friends - books, books, books" (Worcester Telegram & Gazette, July 1, 2001).

Unfortunately, the economic recession in 2001 compounded by the aftermath of September 11, 2001 put a halt on the plans to revive the bookmobile. In fact, the library itself had to struggle with a citywide hiring freeze and other budget issues starting in 2002.

Plans for a bookmobile were back on the table in 2006. The library acquired an old 1992 Blue Bird bus turned bookmobile from Fitchburg Public Library for $15,000.  And then... nothing happened for five years. Due to a new economic recession, there was never any money available to operate the bookmobile and it sat in storage during that time.

The First Library Express a.k.a. "Libby," 2012-2018

The Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported in August 2011 that there was momentum for reestablishing bookmobile service. Seven months later, Worcester Public Library held a press conference at the College of the Holy Cross announcing a partnership with the college to launch the new bookmobile. Holy Cross agreed to contribute $80,000 per year for five years to fund the operating costs of the vehicle and the partnership would be reevaluated after the five years. The City of Worcester and a contribution from the UMASS Memorial Health Care also helped fund startup costs and costs related to the book collection. Furthermore, sixth graders from Worcester's public, private, and parochial schools could participate in a naming contest for the then-unnamed vehicle.

Sixth grader Ricardo Figuera was one of four students who came up the winning name for the bookmobile. He initially submitted Worcester Library Express (taking inspiration from the Polar Express movie), which was later shortened to Library Express. John Guachichula and Patson Pierre also submitted Library Express and Jake Ford submitted Libby as the nickname. All four winners received Kindles as a prize and all participants in the contest received tickets to a future Holy Cross football game. Library Express, a.k.a. Libby was unveiled on May 1, 2012 at a ceremony in the courtyard of Carol & Park B. Smith Hall at the College of the Holy Cross.

Libby at the College of the Holy Cross, May 2012

Libby traveled to elementary schools, the Worcester Senior Center, parks, pre-schools, low-income and senior housing facilities, community centers, festivals and other outdoor events, and more. This blog's author and her fellow Main Library reference librarians even worked on the bookmobile for several weeks in 2013 until a new bookmobile librarian was hired. In one memorable exchange, a student at an elementary school stop asked this librarian aboard the bookmobile, "Do you sleep here?"

Little Libby a.k.a. "Lilly," 2014 - Present

On January 8, 2014, Worcester Public Library launched a bookmobile named "Lilly" (as in Little Libby) as part of the One City, One Library initiative, which was intended to improve literacy in the city's elementary school populations. The first step of the OCOL initiative was the opening of the four public library branches (Roosevelt Branch, Tatnuck Magnet Branch, Goddard Branch, and Burncoat Branch opened between 2013-2016) in four city public elementary schools as part of a public-private partnership. As a result, the new bookmobile's focus would be the elementary schools that did not have the new school library branches (unlike the larger Libby bookmobile, which served all ages). United Way of Central Massachusetts was the initial major donor for this new C Model bookmobile from Moroney Monolite® with $68,400 going towards its purchase. UMASS Medical School also contributed funds for the bookmobile's materials. 

Original Design of Lilly, circa 2014-15

Two years later, Lilly got an snazzy new look, with a exterior wrap that featured the United Way logo, the Quinsigamond Community College's mascot, the mythical dragon-like creature known as the wyvern; and Worcester State University's mascot, the Lancer. Quinsigamond Community College, QCC Foundation, and Worcester State University all partnered with the library to fund Lilly's operating costs. It was announced in March 2014 that QCC's Alpha Zeta Theta Chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society would raise $100,000 over the next three years for this purpose.

Invitation to the Debut of Lilly's New Look, March 2016

Lilly's New Look, circa 2017

Lilly currently serves public and private elementary schools, a couple of middle schools, afterschool programs, community centers, and the Seven Hills Foundation. It also periodically appears special events and programs in the Worcester area, bringing a smile to the faces of its visitors.

The Second Libby

The original Libby definitely showed its age during its years of service in Worcester. After constant breakdowns where it felt like the bookmobile was off the road more often than it was actually in service, the library decided to acquire a new bookmobile. The Worcester Public Library Foundation was instrumental in raising the funds for the new vehicle, including dedicating their October 2016 Celebration of Authors fundraising event to this goal. A month earlier, the College of the Holy Cross had renewed their sponsorship of Libby for another three years with a rededication ceremony.

Rededication of Libby at the College of the Holy Cross, September 21, 2016

Work in Progress for New Libby, circa December 2016

Work in Progress for New Libby, circa December 2016

Finally, in January 2018, the library unveiled the brand new and very much improved Libby built by Moroney. This Moroney Monolite® B Model Bookmobile was 25% larger than the original Libby, and was powered with more environmentally-friendly lithium cell batteries as opposed to a gas-powered generator. Mayor Joe Petty presented the artists for the exterior of the new Libby, Andrei Krautsou ("Key Detail") and Julia Yubaba ("Yu-baba") with keys to the city in honor of their contributions. Key Detail and Yu-baba are muralists who previously worked on one of the Pow! Wow! Worcester! murals at the Elm Park Community School in the summer of 2017.

Libby Facing Right, circa January 2017

Libby Facing Left, circa January 2017

Unveiling of Libby's New Design at City Hall, January 10, 2018

Ribbon Cutting of the New Libby, January 10, 2018

Libby has been on the road (on and off, of course) ever since. It carries a variety of materials, including regular and large print books, DVDs, Playaways, and more. As previously mentioned, Libby caters to all ages and visits a variety of locations, including special events.

Executive Director Jason Homer and Patron Aboard Libby, circa 2022

Louis and Luigi

We would be remiss if we didn't mention that Worcester Public Library has two other vehicles in its repertoire. They're not bookmobiles in the traditional sense but they are used for outreach and resource allocation/delivery to the branches. 

Louis, the van, is named after French educator and inventor Louis Braille and is occasionally used for the Worcester Talking Book Library's outreach efforts. The Worcester Public Library and the Worcester Talking Book Library share joint custody over the van's operations. 

Louis the Library Van, circa 2023

Luigi, the newly named book bike launched in Spring 2025 and has been seen in outreach events such as this year's Boston Pride march as well as this summer's Out to Lunch on the Worcester Common. While it sometimes has been confused with an ice cream bike, the book bike helps library staff share information and free books to attendees of the various community events. The library officially announced Luigi as the new name of the book bike on November 12, 2025.

Book Bike, October 2025

In Conclusion

There you have it: the history of the various bookmobiles and related vehicles in Worcester Public Library's history. The author of this blog post would like to thank Worcester Public Library's staff members, past and present, for their recollections of the various vehicles. Institutional memory helps preserve the history of Worcester Public Library.

If you missed our previous blog posts about the earlier history of the bookmobiles, you can read them here: 

Library on the Move: The Early Years

Library on the Move: Through the Years

Sources:

"Bulletin Board." (1994, September 1). Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. B1.

Dow, G.P. (2001, July 1). "Bookmobile is Back in Worcester." Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. C1.

Foskett, Jr., S.H. (2012, May 2). "City Wheels Out 21st Century Library on the Move." Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. A8. 

Kotsopoulos, N. (2012, March 7). "More Than Books on This 'Magic Bus.'" Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. A1.

Kotsopoulos, N. (2007, January 7). "Murray Leaves Projects in Pipeline to Blossom Later." Worcester Sunday Telegram, p. B2.

Kotsopoulos, N. (2002, February 26). "Hoover Sharpens Budget Hatchet." Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. A1.

Kotsopoulos, N. (2001, June 13). "Library Wheels Back Clock." Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. B1.

Kush, B.B. (2014, January 10). "Bookmobile to Focus on Children." Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. B2.

Kush, B.B. (2011, August 22). "Bookmobile Return Overdue?" Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. A1.

"Lovable Libby." (2012, May 3). Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. A15.

O'Connell, S. (2016, March 4). "Library Bookmobile Gets a New Look." Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. A7.

"On the Road Again." (2001, June 20). Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. A8.

"Reading Gets Rolling." (2014, January 15). Worcester Telegram & Gazette, p. A13.