By Erica Wright
The Birmingham Times
Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit officials and the Birmingham Public Library (BPL) on Wednesday unveiled what they said would be the future of the library system.
The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority donated a para-transit bus to the BPL that will provide mobile library services to the city’s 99 neighborhoods.
The para-transit bus will be converted into a vehicle that will transport books, DVDs and other library services on the road.
Officials with both entities said the BPL Mobile service is an innovative approach to bridging the digital divide and expanding services to underserved communities.
“This is a momentous occasion . . . we have two agencies coming together to serve the citizens of Birmingham, Jefferson County,” said Frank T. Martin, Executive Director and CEO of BJCTA. “With the donation of this vehicle [the BPL] will be to take the library into the neighborhoods. This is very critical and to make sure services are being provided for citizens to have access to the library system.”
BPL Interim Director Janine Langston said the bookmobile is needed, more so during COVID-19 when many people haven’t been as active.
“The BPL Mobile will play a huge role in helping us take books, media, citizen services, classes and programs on the road throughout Birmingham,” she said. “We look forward to the future with the launch of the book mobile partnership.”
BJCTA and BPL officials also announced a partnership where users of the BJCTA-MAX Central Station and riders of its public transportation buses will be able to use a QR code and the bus WiFi to access BPL programs such as story times and other library resources.
Schedules and other details for the BPL Mobile will be announced later this year.
