Northeast Colorado bids farewell to bookmobile

After more than 60 years of service, the northeast Colorado bookmobile services will quietly fade into the pages of history.

The mobile library has made its final rounds to area communities and finding homes for the immense collection of books will be no small undertaking. Plans are being made now for multiple book sales throughout the summer, donations to organizations, recycling events, giveaways and more.

The bookmobile has been providing library benefits including mobile library services to six counties in northeast Colorado and will leave a bittersweet feeling in the hearts of many patrons and library staff members alike.

It started out as a demonstration project for the Colorado State Library in 1959 and was officially created on Feb. 10, 1961, when an agreement was reached with the county commissioners of Kit Carson, Logan, Morgan, Washington, Yuma and Phillips counties.

The bookmobile traveled over 20,000 miles a year and had a circulation of more than 167,000 books. The library, which is said to have a collection at one time of 66,000 books, also distributed books via courier, mail, and made home deliveries to shut-ins.

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