Ginny Dufurrena's monthly schedule includes stops at schools, daycares and senior centers.
Four days a week, the librarian climbs behind the wheel of the Humboldt County Bookmobile. She veers off the highway to cover miles of dirt and gravel roads in Humboldt and Pershing Counties.
Her travels take her to some of the farthest-flung regions of northern Nevada.
The van's generator might sputter. But there's little chance of the librarian getting lost as she shuttles between Paradise Valley, Unionville, Orovada and Imlay. She's been on the job for eighteen years.
Dufurrena's day starts early.
"I stack the shelves with books that appeal to each specific group I visit," she said.
On Tuesday the librarian drove to Imlay Elementary School (IES), a one-room schoolhouse next door to the post office.
Over a dozen K-5 kids boarded the bookmobile. Their teacher, Tashia Spradley, gave them time to peruse the shelves. She and Jennifer Osborn supervised.
"The students use the bookmobile as a reference resource for my teaching plans," said Spradley. "Without it, most of them would have no access to any library."
After several minutes the teacher told children, "If you found a book now it's time to read quietly."
The students sprawled out with their finds. The bookmobile features an internet station, magazine racks and reading bench.
"It's just like a regular library, but it's portable," explained Aurora Fortier. The fifth-grader chose a classic — "Little House in the Big Woods," by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Kindergartener Jason St. Pierre found books on bugs. Tessa Darr, a third-grade student, settled down to learn about penguins. She peeked at Rachel Hiibell's choice, "Lucy Goose," by Charles Ghigna.
"Ginny fills requests and often brings new selections," said Spradley. "She has craft ideas and a summer reading program."
But the bookmobile isn't just
— See BOOKMOBILE, Page 17 —
for kids. People of all ages use the library on wheels. Dufurrena even doubles as a notary public.
"Many people in our community are elderly and can't easily travel to the libraries in Lovelock or Winnemucca," said Spradley. "Everyone values and appreciates the bookmobile."
Bookmobiles face
uncertain future
A combination of state and federal grants fund Nevada's three bookmobiles. The Institute of Museum and Library Services, the federal source, faces budgetary elimination.
Cindy O directs the Humboldt County Library. She, Dufferrena, Assistant Director Joy Holt and Kyle Ebert recently traveled to Carson City, Nevada. They attended Library Legislative Day on April 12, 2017, to advocate for increased state funding for the bookmobile.
