KYLE — It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s … the brand-new Kyle Mobile Library, which aims to launch in the summer of 2025.
The Friend of the Kyle Library, a nonprofit, receives funds to support the Kyle Public Library through The Kyle Library Thrift Store.
“[The] former librarian that we used to have here … she’s the one who started the interest in it and asked [The Kyle Library Thrift Store] if we would be interested in funding it. I’ve been here 13 years and we’ve never told the library, 'No,'” said Judy Deats, bookkeeper for the thrift store.
Kyle Public Library Outreach Librarian Jesus Hernandez is all smiles as he sits inside the new mobile library. He will be the primary operator of the new “branch,” as he calls it.
This small spark was nearly two years ago, said Deats, and since then, the thrift store has worked to raise funding, do research on possible vehicles and, now, purchase the van, which arrived at its destination at the end of March.
“I’m thinking of it like a mobile branch. So, cities our size sometimes accommodate their populations by having a system of libraries. Kyle is a one branch system right now, but we can actually think of the mobile library as a branch,” said KPL Outreach Librarian Jesus Hernandez, who will primarily be operating the vehicle.
This is the same idea that Deats mentioned, as, despite recent discussions, a second library for the city could be years away: “We’ve grown so much that our mobile library can provide outreach to people that can't get to the library we have now. So, it’s a way of expanding library services without building a whole new library, which is really expensive.”
The opportunity is exciting, the outreach librarian said, as not many libraries have a mobile attachment and so, having the opportunity to network with others in Texas has been a stimulating experience.
The mobile library is a van constructed by Farber Specialty Vehicles, which provides services to blood banks, counties and cities, including the new Hays County mobile vaccine vehicle that launched in 2024, according to library director Leslie Scott.
The exterior is fitted with the Kyle Public Library’s logo, an awning and speaker, while the interior — all of which was designed by the librarians — has a desk area for a computer, a rotating driver’s seat, a microphone — to host storytimes, according to Deats — and, of course, shelves for books, though those are not all that will be available on the vehicle.
“That's going to be evolving as we start going out and learning what people are asking for. We’re trying to make a collection that dynamically changes with our population. We’re going to see who we end up serving the most [and] they’re going to make themselves apparent to us through our visits,” said Hernandez. “I’m imagining we’re going to have a large mix of media formats, reading levels and not just books.”
This includes the possibility of movies, audiobooks and the library’s new StoryTime Kits, which provides a picture book, along with felt games and interactions for families to experience together.
Because the library is full of a variety of collections and opportunities for guests, said Scott, each stop will be curated to those that visit. So, if the library mobile visits a senior center, it will alter its traveling collection to match those needs.
The library’s goal, though primarily to expand the services, is also to cultivate literacy in the community, Scott emphasized.
The interior of the mobile library includes ample storage for the books and resources to be shared with the community.
“We will have Wi-Fi, so we are able to connect to our system through the library and check-in, check-out, but we want to make sure that, wherever we go, that someone has the ability to leave with a book of some sort,” said Scott. “So, we will have a small collection of free books, as well, because our goal is to [educate], engage and maintain. They’ll be able to take something regardless [of whether or not] they have a library account.”
“I just want to make sure that everyone knows they’re welcome here. It’s not an exclusive club. There are things that require membership and there are many things that we offer that do not,” the director said.
Currently, the library is in the midst of its master plan, which includes gaining input from the community, to help determine where the mobile library is needed most, but until then, the mobile library will be attending city events.
“We think that we have the most amazing resources in the library and it’s like letting people know the secret that, ‘Hey, we’ve got more than just books.’ We have database access, educational activity, kids' books that read out loud to you, all kinds of things," concluded Hernandez.
KPL will be hosting a ribbon cutting ceremony at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 3, behind the library, located at 550 Scott St., Kyle. According to Scott, the vehicle is hoping to begin its rounds in the summer.
For more information on KPL, visit www.cityofkyle.com/library.
