In an effort to make books more accessible to the community, the Dallas Public Library and a bike shop in Deep Ellum are working together to make Dallas’ first bookbike, a small bicycle-drawn trailer that can be customized for the audience it is trying to reach.
The idea was proposed by Mark Draz, a librarian at the downtown Central Library who also is an avid cyclist. He proposed the idea after reading about successes for the bookbike in Boulder, Colorado, Boston, and Los Angeles, The Dallas Morning News reported.
The bookbike’s offerings can be tailored by librarians to satisfy the needs of any audience, such as large-print books for senior citizens or children’s books for elementary schools, according to the DMN.
“It’s basically the two things in life that I’m most passionate about.”
MARK DRAZ
“It’s basically the two things in life that I’m most passionate about,” Draz told the DMN. “It was kind of a no-brainer. They’re the perfect fit of what I’m passionate about and the direction the library is going: trying to get outside of the library and build new relationships with people.”
Draz reached out to Kristie Holt, co-owner of Local Hub Bicycle Co. in Deep Ellum. He had met her through the Texas Bike Coalition.
“Growing up, bikes and libraries played a big role in my childhood,” Holt told the newspaper. “I had easy access to a local library, and it was a good way to get outside of my world and explore. There aren’t a lot of kids that are exposed to that today. So, this is a great opportunity to intersect my passions and work with the community.”
The team will build the bookbike in-house with plans bought from a company called Street Smart. An Indiegogo campaign has been started to raise $2,500 to buy the plans and materials to construct the trailer.
So far, about $1,500 has been raised and more money is being sought.
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