Mobile Library Coming Back
Mobile library in Baltimore City. Photo provided by: Prince George’s County Memorial Library System
Prince George’s Library Awarded $2.2 Million To Acquire A Mobile Library Vehicle: Library 2Go
The Prince George’s County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) has been awarded $2.2 million in the FY23 federal budget to acquire and launch a mobile library vehicle, Rover: Library 2Go. This investment in Prince George’s County is part of $40 million in federal funds secured for Prince George’s County and Montgomery County by Maryland’s delegation to the 117th Congress. The mobile library will provide internet access, multilingual library services, immigrant and refugee support, and job search and career assistance throughout Prince George’s County, with a focus on areas that do not have current access (via public transportation and walking) to a permanent neighborhood branch library (see map of current branches). These communities include Langley Park, College Park, Suitland, and Brandywine, among others.
Young Prince Georgians borrowing books from the PGCMLS bookmobile ca. 1951 in Woodmore, Maryland (Courtesy Vintage Everyday). Photo provided by: Prince George’s County Memorial Library System
“The Library is the ultimate connector in the local community,” said Toni A. Smith, President, PGCMLS Board of Library Trustees. “Bringing the Library directly to the people who need services and internet access will have a positive, multi-generational impact on families, Prince George’s County, and the state.”
Once launched, Rover: Library 2Go is projected to annually support over 150 outreach events, provide 1,560 service hours, facilitate 10,000+ WiFi sessions, offer over 1,800 career services consultations, and circulate upwards of 1,300 Online 2Go Chromebooks with built-in internet service. The mobile library expands PGCMLS’ efforts to bridge the digital divide, which finds over 116,000 Prince Georgians lacking home broadband access (2020 U.S. Census), and reduce unemployment (4% as of October 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
