Bookmobile (Library System of Lancaster County)

A nonprofit organization
Fundraise

Hello Friends! Welcome to the Bookmobile!

Once the Bookmobile rolls in it takes just a few minutes to turn a retirement home lounge, grocery store parking lot, or community center into a library for the next hour. At the Library System of Lancaster County's Bookmobile, we help provide library materials to patrons who - for a variety of reasons - may not be able to access another Lancaster library. In addition to regular books, patrons also check out DVDs, audiobooks, and our robust collection of large print books. At many locations, we wheel our collection inside so that our friends don't need to struggle up steps or worry about a slippery sidewalk, and we love that patrons can pick out their own books and movies. It may seem like a small thing, but we know that for folks living in a retirement or assisted living facility, having access to books by the authors they have grown to love is a huge contributor to their sense of well-being and quality of life.

The Bookmobile is built for flexibility! Its unique design allows us to maximize space while transporting our collection of books to the communities we serve. We keep our books on carts so that we can set up anywhere, and so that we can easily change the types of books that we bring: our Young Adult cart comes with us to community stops, and we never leave for one of our retirement homes without a cart full of Inspirational Fiction! 

We could not do what we do without some special pieces of technology, such as the lift we use to offload our book carts, the wall clamps and straps that secure the shelves while the Bookmobile is driving, and the generator that powers the lights that allow browsing the Bookmobile itself. As you can imagine, these items all require maintenance, which is one thing that your support helps with. Another Bookmobile necessity is our ability to acquire new materials to check out to patrons. Books, movies, and audiobooks are all expensive, but they are a great investment because they are able to be enjoyed by library patrons all across Lancaster County! 

We hope you will consider supporting the Bookmobile, and our mission of removing as many barriers to accessing library materials as possible. 

SAVE THE DATE: You're invited to an EXTRA special event to benefit the Bookmobile! Join us on Friday, November 21st from 4-6pm at the S. Dale High Leadership Center for an ExtraGive Happy Hour at Greenfield featuring live music, complimentary apps, beverages, and community. We can't wait to gather in support of some EXTRAordinary organizations working out of Greenfield Lancaster. Click here to register. Hope to see you there!

Mission

The Library System of Lancaster County is a federated system with 14 member libraries, three branches and a bookmobile, which serves 519,462 residents. Established in April 1987, the Library System provides well-coordinated countywide services and cooperative programs to assist member libraries in meeting the diverse needs of its community residents.

The Library System delivers direct services via a bookmobile that provides countywide service in the form of over 60 Bookmobile stops per month at primarily low- and moderate-income areas of the county, with special focus on children and older adults. The Bookmobile outreach efforts include providing services to traditionally underserved groups in Lancaster County, such as the Amish, retirement communities and daycare centers.

As an agent of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and The County of Lancaster, the Library System of Lancaster County promotes the improvement of library services of member libraries by providing countywide planning, policy development; centralized and support services, and access to core resources.

Get Involved

View our current participation opportunities.

In-Person Event

ExtraGive Happy Hour at Greenfield!

S. Dale High Center

November 21, 2025

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Bookmobile (Library System of Lancaster County)

Budget Size

Over $1M

Causes

Education, Community Advocacy

Address

1866 Colonial Village Lane
Lancaster, PA 17601

Service areas

Ephrata, PA, US, 17522

Columbia, PA, US, 17512

Manheim, PA, US, 17545

Quarryville, PA, US, 17566

Lititz, PA, US, 17543

Phone

717 207 0500

Email

bookmobile@lancasterlibraries.org

Website

https://lancasterlibraries.org/bookmobile/

Social Media