Public Libraries are hubs of the community, providing knowledge and resources with open doors for some residents.
But accessibility can be an issue for some Orange County residents.
Transportation to and from a local library can be a challenge for some, especially in low-income neighborhoods and among the senior citizen community, according to Nancy Pe’a, Librarian II Branch Manager of the county’s Mobile Library.
This is where traveling libraries step in.
“Sometimes transportation can be a big issue. Where both parents work and they can’t get to the library,” added Pe’a.
The program bridges that gap, bringing library services to assisted living homes, neighborhoods and parks within their service area Tuesday through Saturday.
Cities outside of this service area, such as Anaheim and Santa Ana, have their own mobile library services.
“Because we show up in the morning hours or after school hours, they can access our libraries at their convenience,” Pena said.
Each mobile library offers books, movies, CDs, WiFi hotspots, Chromebooks, library resources and daily programs.
Books are also offered in multiple languages, including Arabic, Korean, Spanish, Japanese, Persian, Hindi and more.
“I have attended the Mobile Library here several times,” said Sara Hong, a resident at Liberty at Aliso Senior Apartments. “I enjoy the painting and reading books in Korean.”
The mobile library will service a site for one year, visiting once per month.
“We have to be equal. We find there are a lot of community areas in the county that would like us to come, but we can’t get there yet. It is a long process,” Pe’a said.
Sites are chosen using the OC Equity Map and a number of other county resources to determine which areas are most in need. These sites, however, must fall into the jurisdiction of the OCPL service area.
“I have always gone to libraries wherever I went, like a church,” said Armando Sardon, a newer Liberty at Aliso Senior Apartments resident that attended the Mobile Library visit. “I am a new resident here, and I like the variety of books they have in many languages.”
Daniel Barraza, Library Assistant at OC Public Libraries, notes that sometimes it can be challenging to bring members into the Mobile Library.
“Free libraries may be different than what they are used to, and even with free activities, they may not feel comfortable at first,” said Barraza. “We build a sense of safety and trust within the communities that we visit over time.”
Programs like painting and crafts are the biggest draw-in for community members, according to Barraza and James Trejo, Senior Library Assistant.
“The Mobile Library brings the community together,” said Barraza.
“It allows us to access people that otherwise can’t get places,” added Trejo.
Pe’a said that many new Orange County, and United States, residents also gravitate towards the mobile library programs.
“We also experience a lot of new Americans that come,” Pe’a said. “A lot of times they don’t understand that our libraries are free because in their home country, it’s not free.”
“The idea of public libraries in America, and free public libraries, is new to them.”
Outside of attracting patronage, the program’s greatest challenges are staffing and access related issues.
“We are still refining our services. Across the board for all library systems, it’s the staff shortages. It’s hard to get people to fill our staff positions. We are five now, and will be down to four, but we should be a staff of six,” said Pe’a
“We work Tuesday through Saturday, but we need to allow staff to have some off days and office days. It can get tiresome when you’re out driving all day, and repacking the van.”
It has also proved challenging to access sites to set up the mobile library, at times.
“Sometimes apartment managers or property managers don’t understand that we are working for the community, their mindset is on selling and leasing and not on community services,” Pe’a said. “It takes some time to find the right words that click with them… that we are a free service, we’re quick, and that it does not take any work on their end, because we do everything.”
The OCPL Mobile Library system was created in 2021 as a response to the closures of public libraries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“OCPL responded to pandemic supply chain issues by increasing efficiencies and bringing vital access to content and services to meet the population’s growing needs,” County Librarian Julie Quillman wrote in the 2023 OC Public Libraries Annual Report. “Our libraries are more than just books.”
The system has origins in the Wifi on Wheels (WOW) pilot program, which started in 2020 to bring free internet access to underprivileged communities, according to Pe’a.
“The people running WOW saw that there was more that the communities wanted besides WiFi,” said Pe’a.
The future of the Mobile Library program is uncertain, but that there could be a possibility of continued growth
“I haven’t heard any news of expanding the Mobile Library service. We’re still learning about our communities, their needs, and best practices,” Pe’a said. “Mobile services come and go.”
“Who knows what the future will bring, maybe a fleet of mobile library services.”
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