Glen Weaver of Petaluma wants to give books to children and senior citizens in Sonoma County. He vows to do so by his birthday, June 21.
All he needs to make his vision a reality is to find, build or receive as a donation a trailer he can hitch to his car.
The father of two works at the Committee on the Shelterless as director of the shelter and housing programs. "When I'm not worrying about people having shelter and food, I think about giving books away," Weaver said.
His inspiration occurred when a friend casually mentioned that her friend had bought an ancient bookmobile and was converting it into a weekend getaway vehicle.
"I didn't hear anything she said after the word bookmobile," he said. "Almost immediately, I wanted my own, so I could give away books.
Weaver spoke to friends at work, checked in with Rotary International and got a Web site up, "thanks to Sonic.net."
Weaver will start where old bookmobiles ended, along Sonoma County's rural library routes that were served from the early 1950s until 1996.
Branch librarian Doug Cisney became aware of the project when Weaver requested old maps of bookmobile routes. "It's a great idea if he can do it," Cisney said. "In some ways, it may seem idealistic, but Glen has really covered the bases."
When Cisney was a librarian in Florida, he favored bookmobiles. "It's great outreach. Anything that puts books in people's hands, I'm all for it," he said.
Weaver said the prospect of giving books away for free makes him feel like a kid right before Christmas. He'll include his sons, Sylvan, 7, and Edgerrin, 9, on the distribution drives and hopes other volunteers will join him to cover routes.
Weaver wants to give books to children in rural areas and elders who have mobility issues or who are isolated for medical reasons. "Imagine the excitement of the kids as we pull up to parks and community centers, to churches and homeless shelters," he said.
Weaver said that each time he parks his car and opens the trailer filled with books he will play a recording of the national anthem. "Our president called us to service and this is what I want to do," he said.
Kiyo Okasaki, Sonoma County Library public services manager, helped Weaver connect with club presidents of Friends of the Library. The friends groups host book sales to support branch activities including storytelling time and programs for adult readers.
Sonoma Valley Friends of the Library was the first group to commit to the bookmobile project.
With budget woes hampering libraries, Oka-saki said Weaver's timing couldn't be better. "Libraries are not open every day, or 24 hours per day," Okasaki said. "Some parents would like to take their children to the library, but are working multiple jobs."
She said Weaver's plan will fill a need. "He's promoting literacy," said Okasaki. "He is promoting the joy of reading."
At Weaver's home, the stacks of books from friends and other donors are growing higher. In his free time, he adds entries and photos to his Web site, www.sonomacountybookmobile.org. Two friends are standing by to do carpentry or mechanical work on a donated trailer.
The day Weaver finds that trailer, stand back.
You can reach Staff Writer Rayne Wolfe at 521-5240 or rayne.wolfe@pressdemocrat.com.
