The Catalogue

According to the Gerstenslager Company, the Door County Bookmobile model was classified as a Medium Bookmobile that could hold 1500-2500 volumes of books. It had an interior space 16 feet long and 7 feet in width; and an interior height of 6 feet 6 inches. The roof was an all-steel turret-type with two skylights to let in natural light. Two service doors on the right side of the vehicle allowed visitors to enter at the front and exit through the back. The cab compartment had two bucket seats, one for the driver and one for a helper, both seats were adjustable and reversible.

Intentional Interior

Inside the bookmobile, fluorescent fixtures provided lighting and the interior shelving was carefully designed using wood and steel shelving installed according to ALA standards. Each shelf was pitched at an angle and covered with rubber mats to keep books in place. The bookmobile included special sections with magazine racks, space for children’s books and oversize books, and a clothes closet in the left rear corner. A record cabinet, built beneath the rear window, had shelves to carry a supply of record albums. The top of the cabinet provided space for a record player. The appliance outlet at the rear of the vehicle provided an electrical connection for this purpose. And of course the necessary charge-out desk sits behind the driver’s seat and was covered with battleship linoleum to match the floor.

The Routs

The Door County Bookmobile was more than the rural public library, it quickly became an important tool connecting sheltered communities to each other and to the rest of the state. It provided popular novels, classics, children’s stories, and books in native languages for migrants. It also provided critical resources such as agricultural magazines, do it yourself manuals for farmers and homemakers, and books for those interested in business.  A few more bookmobiles cycled through the years of Door County mobile library service before being replaced by cargo vans in 1990.