Bookmobiles Bookmobiles Everywhere!!!

The national Association of Bookmobiles and Outreach Services (ABOS) conference took place in Richmond, Virginia from October 10-12, 2012 and we were lucky enough here in the Washington County Free Library Bookmobile Department to be able to attend again this year. (A big thank you to WCFL/WMRL staff development folks!)

It was a big (BIG!) year for ABOS. We elected new leadership, redesigned our logo, and completely revamped our website. This year's conference brought the most bookmobiles ever in conference history (12!) and a huge number of conference attendees from all over the United States, from rural Washington state to urban Baton Rouge, Lousiana to good ol' Baltimore city here in Maryland. The conference committee did an excellent job in organizing the venue; the Richmond Marriott staff were pleasant, the atmosphere was energetic and full of fun, and the events (from the sessions to the author lunch to the ghost tour) were all a big success!

The most important thing to know about this conference is that it is not just for bookmobilers. ABOS is an organization that supports all kinds of outreach services provided by libraries and librarians, not just mobile library service. And I've yet to meet a librarian who has never performed any outreach, because it is what we do! The overwhelming majority of attendees and presenters do work in mobile outreach, not just driving bookmobiles, but delivering books to homebound patrons, sending books by mail, running rural delivery services, managing a mini-branch located within another organization/business, or conducting programming to the communities we serve. This conference brings all of these ideas and programs together in one place so that we can learn from each other and share our experiences, both successes and failures, and support one another through change and growth. This is how libraries are able to evolve.

Some highlights of this year's conference:

• Donald Ray Pollock, award winning author of gritty Appalachian noir fiction, gave an excellent reading and Q &A session discussing the life of a writer and the challenges of living and writing in rural Appalachia
• Keynote speaker Gary Fountain, Rector of Chatham Hall School for Girls in Virginia, spoke about the willingness of libraries to adapt both physically and culturally to patron needs, even if that means altering the very definition of library service and education as he has done in the last few years at the schools he manages (everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, is done on the iPad)
• East Baton Rouge Parish Library is doing some astounding outreach service (even if it means dressing up like a book and possibly being set on fire for Banned Books Week) and we are looking forward to next year's ABOS conference in this library system with their dynamic staff
• Library Journal's 2011 Library of the Year Winner - the King County Library System in Washington state offered tips and strategies for maximizing your library's success and services through mobile technology outreach

Overall, there is truly something for every librarian at this conference. And the setting is intimate enough that I felt like I came away from a summer camp sort of experience having met people that will truly influence the way that I work and the way that I manage my department for years to come. In spending time with those people who do what I do every day, I find that I am amazed at the work that we do and the dedication of those who do it. It is invigorating to be a part of a group like ABOS that is so committed to library engagement by whatever means necessary. It is also humbling and inspiring to see how other libraries are working without the same support that we sometimes take for granted here in Maryland. I feel lucky to be a part of the WCFL Bookmobile team and to be able to share in the history that has made us a great service in Washington County.

If you are interested in outreach or what exactly ABOS is, check out their website at http://www.abos-outreach.org or feel free to email me and I can help you to get more involved. Maybe next year, more of us will be able to represent Maryland libraries in Louisiana because we have a lot here to be proud of.

-Amanda Bena, Bookmobile Department Manager, WCFL
(abena@washcolibrary.org)