The Beverly MA bookmobile is out of commission, but its librarian is not.
The deteriorating vehicle failed inspection two weeks ago, and Linda Caravaggio has been making the rounds in her silver Nissan Sentra, delivering books from her back seat.
“She’s hauling bags around and doing her best,” Library Director Pat Cirone said. “She’s a tremendous librarian who goes above and beyond.”
The bookmobile, a 20-year-old bus that delivers books, tapes and CDs to people who can’t get out to the library, needs tires, brakes and rust repairs. “It wasn’t just one minor thing,” Cirone said. “There’s a list.”
Rough estimates for repairs are $3,000, which will come out of the city’s library budget — not the $70,000 raised so far for a new vehicle, which is expected to cost about $150,000.
The Beverly Public Library has been raising money for a new bookmobile for the past two years. To send a monetary donation, please make checks payable to the Friends of the Beverly Public Library. They can be mailed to the Library at 32 Essex Street, Beverly, MA 01915 or check out the website for more information.
The article doesn’t say
The article doesn’t say whether the librarian is reimbursed for her car expenses. If she isn’t at least getting gas money, then she’s yet another female librarian allowing herself to be exploited by her town due to a self-imposed sense of duty.
Insurance
I wonder about the insurance implications of this. This is not the way this should be done. I am sure the Bookmobile is a valuable service and as such, they need to find a solution until a new bookmobile can be purchased (Also, maybe if it has already taken two years to get less than half the money for the new bookmobile they want, maybe they need to adjust their requirements).