MADERA — At this week’s Board of Supervisors meeting, Madera County Library officials announced that their application for a grant from the California State Library’s “Bringing the Library to You Mobile Library Grant” program has been awarded $206,000.
Library officials plan to use the grant award to purchase a new vehicle that will be customized to function as a mobile library.
The new mobile unit will enable the Madera County Library to extend services to rural, more remote communities in unincorporated Madera County that currently do not have access to one of the library branch locations.
Once outfitted and put into service, library officials told supervisors they plan to have the mobile library follow a fixed route on a regular schedule to better serve each community.
“Congratulations!! This will improve our quality of living and brighten the lives of many citizens and children!” the Madera County Economic Development Commission commented on the library’s Facebook page.
The Madera County Library is a member of the San Joaquin Valley Library System (SJVLS), which serves the entire San Joaquin Valley from Merced to Bakersfield.
Established in 1901 and headquartered in Madera, with four additional branches in Chowchilla, Madera Ranchos, North Fork and Oakhurst, the library serves a population of more than 155,000.