Fact Friday: Library on Wheels: Mary Lemist Titcomb and America's first bookmobile by Sharlee Glenn

Image: Abrams

Library on Wheels: Mary Lemist Titcomb and America's first bookmobile by Sharlee Glenn. 52 p. Abrams Books for Young Readers, April, 2018. 978141972875. (Review of finished purchased copy.)

The last Fact Friday of the school year features Library on Wheels: Mary Lemist Titcomb and America's first bookmobile by Sharlee Glenn. This is a book that warms my librarian heart. 

There weren't many career opportunities for women in the late 1800s. Indeed, most women were not encouraged to even obtain an education let alone a job. But Mary Lemist Titcomb insisted upon an education and ultimately trained to become a librarian, eventually working her way up to chief librarian. That was not enough, she identified a need - poor residents in the rural communities did not have access to books or libraries. She put together a mobile library on a horse-drawn carriage to bring the books to that community. 

The design of the book is absolutely gorgeous. Filled with fascinating vintage black and white photos and ephemera. Twelve pages of back matter attest to the research, love and care that went into this beautiful biography. This book begs to be read slowly.