For readers in rural areas of Tillamook County, Jessica Moran may be just be the most welcome sight in town. Four days a week – five in the winter months – Jessica pilots the colorful customized bus that is the Tillamook County Library bookmobile (one of the last in the state) along country roads. On board, she carries upwards of 3,000 books, plus DVDs, audio books, games and CDs, all available for checkout. You can view or download the bookmobile’s schedule on their website.
Driving the bookmobile is no small feat.
“The bookmobile is rather fun to drive once you get used to it,” Jessica says. “It is 27-feet long so you just have to be sure to make wide turns, and remember you are wider than the average car.”
The bookmobile is set up so the driver is sitting way in front of the wheels and the engine is between the two front seats. Sometimes Jessica feels like she’s floating around, with the giant windows surrounding her. Although it can get really bumpy driving the backroads of farmland, she takes those roads very slowly. Otherwise all the books fall off the shelves. She knows from experience!
Reshelving thousands of materials? Not fun. Still, the 30-year-old mom can’t imagine a better job.
“The patrons are always happy to see me. Even the dogs are happy to see me,” said Jessica. “I always something for everybody, whether it’s a book or a treat for the dogs, and the kids love stories, especially silly stories. I tell stories with little morals in them. Sometimes they don’t always get them, but I try. The best part is just the happy smiles on everybody’s faces.”
The Tillamook County Bookmobile is part of the extensive Tillamook County Library system. In addition to the bookmobile, library branches are located in Manzanita, Rockaway Beach, Garibaldi, Bay City, Tillamook (main branch), and Pacific City.
