This November, YPRL celebrates 70 years of our Mobile Library service.
We are the longest running service in Victoria, and we believe in Australia.
"Our Mobile Library, Outreach Vehicle and Caddy travel over 2,323.7km a month to deliver collection to local communities, this is like driving from Melbourne to Townsville every month!"
- YPRL Annual Report 2023 - 2024
The first Mobile Library was a horse-drawn cart and recorded in England in the late 1850s. One hundred years later – in October 1954, The City of Heidelberg launched their bookmobile service.*
In 1952, the Heidelberg Library Association, together with the City of Heidelberg decided to establish a travelling library. Considered a cheaper solution than setting up branch libraries with static collections and paid staff. The new innovative bookmobile service was funded by the Civic Fund – a citizens’ organisation working for the relief of distress in the city and to provide assets of a permanent nature for the benefit of the community. Profits from the twice weekly popular dances held in the Heidelberg Town Hall went into this fund.
The First Bookmobile
The first bookmobile; an Ansair Transett bus stocked 3,000 books and cost the Council £3,200 funded by the Civic Fund. It was described as “the most up-to-date in Australia and the first really complete mobile unit in Australia” – ideally suited to the Heidelberg District, one of the biggest city areas in Australia at that time, from outer Heidelberg suburbs Greensborough, Fairfield and Rosanna. Early “stops” included West Ivanhoe, Fairfield, Rosanna Fire Station and East Ivanhoe. Library assistants (male) were specifically employed to operate the service.
In 1965, Heidelberg Regional Library Service was established between the City of Heidelberg, the Shire of Diamond Valley and the Shire of Eltham. There was even more demand on the service. In 1976 the Shire of Whittlesea joined the service. Part of that agreement was the contribution of their bookmobile.
In October 1985 the Heidelberg Regional Library Service became Yarra Plenty Regional Library Service after the four member councils, felt it was time to adopt a name reflecting the wide area we serve.
In 1977 the bookmobile's stops included Eltham North, the YMCA at McLeod, West Heidelberg, Plenty, Yan Yean Road and Montmorency.
The Whittlesea bookmobile servicing the Shire of Whittlesea at that time stopped at Blamey Avenue Mill Park, Kingsway Drive Lalor, Bundoora Shopping Centre and Plenty Road, Bundoora as well as outside the craft shop at Kinglake.
By 1986 the bookmobiles serviced 57 sites on a weekly basis from Kal Kallo to Kinglake to West Heidelberg. In 1987 a new state of the art bookmobile complete with semi-trailer replaced the two old vehicles.
At work in the 1980s and 90s
A snapshot from the 1991 / 92 annual report reported that on a weekly basis the bookmobile visited 20 communities and towns in the region working a 6-day week providing 43.5 hours of service to the community. The bookmobile provided the most extensive service of its kind in the state. Heavily used stops at this time were Mill Park, Diamond Creek, Bundoora Shopping Centre, Epping, Kinglake and Hurstbridge. In 1993 the bookmobile was repainted a bright yellow and green.
New Look
In February 2006 a brand-new custom built Mobile Library was launched. The nineteen-metre vehicle held more than 6000 items, three computers with free internet access via a satellite dish on the roof and wheelchair access. It had nearly 5000 members and loaned 107,000 items every year.
In April 2009 the bookmobile played its small role in returning a sense of normality to fire-affected areas following Black Saturday with stops at St Andrews and Arthurs Creek Primary School.
Over the years the Mobile Library has been spotted at local festivals including the City of Banyule Arty Farty Festival and the Whittlesea Community Festival. Preschoolers and primary school students alike have enjoyed storytimes. In 2011 a second facelift of the outside decor took place featuring faces from our community.
New Transformation
Across December 2017 and January 2018 the Mobile Library underwent much-needed repairs and refurbishment. The outer shell of the Mobile Library undertook a bright new transformation, sporting a fresh new look to make sure it stands out on the roads.
With the retirement of long-term staff members, a changeover of new staff brought a renewed energy to the service. The Mercedes Benz with its oversize trailer all up 20 metres long is an impressive vehicle if you happen to pass it on the road.
The service schedule was reviewed in 2023 to better meet evolving community needs, strengthening connections across the region. The updated schedule, launched in February 2024, incorporates new stops that address the service needs identified by the community.
Yarra Plenty Regional Library has always been proud of our Mobile Library service, and it is an integral and valued part of who we are and what we do in servicing our urban and rural communities.
On Friday 29 November, drop into our Heidelberg West stop, take a selfie with the Mobile, enjoy cupcakes and share your memories and stories of 70 Years of the Mobile Library. You can look out for copies of our specially produced zine in celebration of our 70 years throughout November and December.
* We were not the first though, the City of Box Hill had launched a small travelling library a few months earlier.