Dewey Bikemobile Proposal

Executive Summary

Context Rationale

&

The Dewey Public Librarys (DPL) bikemobile project hopes to strengthen community
connections in Oyster Bay. Working from community-led framework, the bikemobile project
intends to open the library to the community and the community to the library. Given its
ability to reach potential library users in areas where they feel most comfortable, we will use
the bikemobile as a way to learn about these community members initiating conversations
so as to learn what they want and need from the DPL to make the library feel like a place for
everyone.

Supporting Research Explanation

&

The bikemobile program at Dewey Public Library can build contacts with schools, fair
organizers, and companies already established within the desired community, such as
homeless shelters, farmers markets, and soup kitchens. Smith and Mercer (2015) suggest
different methods to cultivate these relationships: A cold call detailing the request would
be one way to start, or a face to face meeting would also be a good method. The Working
Together Project Community-led Toolkit (2008) suggests a few other ways to gain entry into
the community: The third party service provider as detailed above; door-to-door and
neighbourhood walkabout; word-of-mouth; [and] community events (pg. 36).
The use of statistics is a common aspect of evaluation in the service of bike-based library
service. The basis of our evaluation comes from the existing book-based library services
of Seattle Public Library, Pima County Library, Denver Public Library, and Boston Public
Library. For instance, due to the safety issues from the weight of books, Boston Public
Library takes into account which books are in demand when choosing the collection of
books to offer their users, and so will the Dewey Public Library (Lewis, 2014).
A look at six different library systems across North America reveals that bikemobile budgets
can have a wide range. On the lower end is New Orleans librarian, Laurence Copel, who
started an independent bikemobile service by raising USD$1000 to cover the cost of
the bicycle (Stroup, 2014, para. 24-25). On the higher end of the price range were Seattle
Public Library (SPL) and Montclair Public Library (MPL). SPL cited a working budget
of USD$4700 for their bikemobile all of it for the physical bicycle and promotional
1

materials (Lee, 2013, para. 10). MPL sought to raise USD$6000 for their bikemobile service,
with USD$3000 going to the bicycle, and USD$2000 for their remote Wi-Fi services (Dodd,
n.d., para. 6). The Dewey Public Library team has considered a few different cargo tricycle
prototypes to get a sense of the initial price. Haley Tricycles have a range from USD$1640 $2910 (Orders, n.d., para. 1). The Wicycle Super Cargo Trike costs USD$2000 (Super Cargo
Trike, n.d., para. 1). On the higher end is the Maxpro EcoCargo tricycle, which comes to
USD$4396 (Maxpro EcoCargo, n.d., para. 6).

Budget

The proposed budget is between approximately $3000 and $6500. The contributor to the
large difference in the budget range is the choice of cargo bicycle. Indeed, the actual bicycle
itself is the biggest expense in the budget. Staffing costs, maintenance, and marketing
combined add up to approximately $1200. The bicycle would be a one-time expense in
subsequent years, the cost of running this service would be significantly less.
Other libraries with bikemobiles that we looked at (see: Supporting Research and
Explanation, Budget) fell into this budget range. Many of them funded their expenses
through campaigns and fundraisers, which is something we could certainly look into.

Evaluation

The success of the bikemobile will be measured by a combination of recording statistics and
outcomes. This includes recording statistics such as:

The number of new memberships signed up.

The number of resources checked-out.
The number of resources donated.
How many people we talked to.

Bikemobile users will be asked how we can improve the service and what they like and
dislike about the bikemobile through surveys and a guestbook. We will record these
outcomes to give us a better picture of how well the bikemobile is meeting the needs of
the community and what we can do to provide better service. We will utilize social media
to gather comments, feedback, and anecdotes about the bikemobile to provide additional
outcomes from the Dewey Public Library community.

Training Implications

The librarian or library staff must have the appropriate education for their position at the
library. They will have training in assisting customers with traditional library roles such
as answering reference questions and providing readers advisory. In addition to these,
the mobile librarian will also have training in interpersonal relationships, and technology
troubleshooting. They will also consider supplementary training in the case of an emergency,
such as first aid, as they will be away from other staff members.
2

Communications Marketing

&

The purpose of the bikemobile is to promote library outreach services to the larger Oyster
Bay community and to bring the library to the people, while promoting an appreciation of
literacy to all corners of the community and to create positive reading habits for people of all
walks of life.
The bikemobile will provide a forum for communication and collaboration between Dewey
Public Libraries and the members of the community they serve. Through open discussion
between library bike staff and community members, vital information of service and
programming needs will be collected for assessment and implementation.
The bikemobile will make appearances at community public events, as well as make stops
around various neighbourhoods in Oyster Bay. Book lending, library card sign-up, research,
and readers advisory will be available. The bikemobile will also perpetuate the Dewey Public
Librarys interest in green energy.

Timeline

Next Steps

After the bookmobile service has been initiated, we will:

Continue ongoing evaluation, reevaluate, assess and make necessary adjustments

Address whether any additional neighbourhoods may benefit from bikemobile visits

Add more bikemobiles if demand is uncovered by community-led practice

Explore opportunities for partnerships

Increase digital literacy services by adding a tablet and mobile Wi-Fi

Expand programming such as pop-up makerspace
3

References
Boston Public Library. (n.d.). Programs and Events Bibliocycle. Retrieved from
http://www.bpl.org/programs/community.htm
Dodd, C. (n.d.) MPL bookbike. indiegogo. Retrieved from https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/
mpl-bookbike#/story
Frequently asked questions. (n.d.). Haley Tricycles. Retrieved from http://www.haleytrikes.com/
faq.html
General liability insurance. (2015). Aon. Retrieved from
http://www.aon.com/canada/products-services/risk-services/small-business-insurance/
general-liability-insurance.jsp
Lee, M. (2013, June 10). Seattle Public Library puts books on bikes. Library Journal. Retrieved
from http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2013/06/library-services/seattle-public-library-putsbooks-on-bikes/#_
Lewis, K. (2014, October 7). Bike-based library services: Innovative outreach. Retrieved from
http://publiclibrariesonline.org/2014/10/bike-based-library-services-innovative-outreach/
Maxpro EcoCargo. (n.d.) Maxpro. Retrieved from http://www.pedicabshop.com/ecocargo.html
MEC Edmonton bike shop. (2015). Mountain Equipment Co-op. Retrieved from
http://www.mec.ca/AST/ContentPrimary/Services/Stores/Edmonton.jsp#bikeshop
Orders. (n.d.) Haley Tricycles. Retrieved from http://www.haleytrikes.com/orders.html
Smith, R. M., & Mercer, J. R. (2015). Reachout through outreach: Establishing and maintaining
a library outreach program. Journal of Hospital Librarianship, 15, pp. 77-86. DOI:
10.105/15323269.2015.983780
Standard posters. (2015). Staples. Retrieved from https://www.staplescopyandprint.ca/PrintOnline/SelectPosterTemplate.aspx?Size=Template24x36
Stroup, S. (2014, July 5). Lower 9th Ward librarian wins first Lemony Snicket Prize. NOLA.
Retrieved from http://www.nola.com/books/index.ssf/2014/07/lower_9th_ward_librarian_wins.html
Super Cargo Trike. (n.d.) WIKE. Retrieved from http://www.wicycle.com/index.php/products/
bikes/wike-super-trike
Working Together. (2008). Community-led libraries tool-kit. Retrieved from
http://www.librariesincommunities.ca/resources/Community-Led_Libraries_Toolkit.
pdf