OPL rolls out their mobile library for all ages

NEWSWATCH SEVEN SKYCAM NETWORK. SOME CLOUDY SKIES, BUT IT’S NOT TOO BAD OUT THERE. WELL, HERE’S SOMETHING YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD OF A LIBRARY ON WHEELS. POPPY IS OMAHA PUBLIC LIBRARY’S MOBILE LIBRARY, AIMED AT INCREASING THEIR REACH IN THE COMMUNITY. HERE TO TALK WITH US ABOUT IT IS OMAHA PUBLIC LIBRARY’S OUTREACH MANAGER, MAGGIE PETERSON. MAGGIE, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE FOR HAVING ME. SO FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN’T SEEN IT YET, WHAT EXACTLY IS POPPY AND HOW DOES IT WORK? SO POPPY IS A MOBILE LIBRARY. IT’S A LIBRARY THAT WE CAN KIND OF TAKE ALMOST ANYWHERE INTO THE COMMUNITY. IT’S ABOUT THE SIZE OF AN AMBULANCE. I LEARNED THAT WHEN I ACTUALLY WENT OUT THERE WITH A TAPE MEASURE, THE SIDES ROLL UP TO REVEAL THE BOOKS ON BOARD SO YOU DON’T ACTUALLY HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT GETTING ON AND OFF A VEHICLE. THE BOOKS ARE RIGHT THERE. THEY GO PRETTY HIGH UP, BUT THEY’RE ALSO DOWN LOW, SO SMALLER PATRONS CAN GET TO THOSE KID BOOKS. THEY GET OLDER, THEY GO UP. YEAH. IT’S SO COOL TO GET A LOOK AT YOUR MOBILE LIBRARY. IT’S INCREDIBLY FUN. YOU KNOW, WE OFTEN HEAR THAT THE LIBRARY IS FOR EVERYONE. HOW DOES POPPY MAKE THAT A REALITY? YEAH. SO ONE OF THE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT WORKING IN OUTREACH IS HOW FREQUENTLY WE’RE MEETING PEOPLE WHO MAYBE THEY USED TO HAVE A LIBRARY CARD AND THEY THINK THEY’RE IN TROUBLE AND THEY CAN’T COME SEE US, OR MAYBE THEY THINK THEY HAD A BOOK THAT WAS OUT, OR MAYBE THEY THINK THEY THEY CAN’T HAVE A LIBRARY CARD. ONE OF THE COOL THINGS ABOUT BEING, BEING, BRINGING POPPY OUT LIKE THIS IS WE’RE ABLE TO FIND THOSE PEOPLE AND SAY LIKE, NO, LET’S, YOU KNOW, IF THERE’S A PROBLEM WITH YOUR ACCOUNT, LIKE, LET’S FIX IT OR LET’S GET YOU A NEW ONE. AND THEN YOU CAN GO HOME WITH A NEW ITEM TODAY. SO THAT’S BEEN INCREDIBLY IMPACTFUL. JUST BEING ABLE TO ACTUALLY MEET PEOPLE OUT AND ABOUT WHERE THEY ARE. SPEAKING OF MEETING PEOPLE OUT AND ABOUT, WHAT KIND OF EVENTS CAN PEOPLE EXPECT TO SEE POPPY AT THIS SUMMER? YEAH, WE SCHEDULE THINGS KIND OF THROUGHOUT THIS SEASON. WE KIND OF TRY TO WRAP UP SOMETIME IN LATE FALL. WE’RE GOING TO BE AT A NUMBER OF THE FARMERS MARKETS THIS YEAR, WHICH I’M REALLY EXCITED ABOUT. YOU CAN ALSO FIND US AT A NUMBER OF LARGER COMMUNITY EVENTS, THINGS LIKE SKATE FEST. WE LOVE GOING TO. SO IT’S ALWAYS A LITTLE BIT OF A SURPRISE. YOU CAN ALWAYS SEE WHERE WE’RE GOING TO BE, THOUGH, BY GOING TO OMAHA LIBRARY.ORG AND GOING TO OUR OUTREACH PAGE, AND WE’LL ANNOUNCE OUR DATES THERE. SO WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU SEE POPPY OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, BUT YOU DON’T HAVE A LIBRARY CARD JUST YET? GREAT QUESTION. YOU CAN COME UP AND YOU CAN GET ONE FROM OUR FRIENDLY LIBRARIANS. WE MAKE IT VERY QUICK AND EASY PROCESS. ALL YOU NEED IS TO HAVE A PHOTO ID AND A PROOF OF YOUR ADDRESS THAT MIGHT ACTUALLY BE ON YOUR ID, BUT IF YOU DON’T HAVE THOSE THINGS, PLEASE STILL STOP BY AND SEE US. WE CAN GET YOU FIGURED OUT AND OFF OF THE CARD, AND THEN WE CAN TAKE THOSE OTHER STEPS LATER. DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVORITE STORIES OF POPPY AND HOW IT MIGHT HAVE REALLY MADE AN IMPACT ON SOMEONE? OH MY GOSH. SO ONE OF MY FAVORITE EVENTS THAT WE’VE ACTUALLY GONE TO IS CHRISTMAS IN THE VILLAGE AT 24TH AND LAKE. WE’VE BEEN POPPING UP THERE THE LAST FEW YEARS, WHICH IS LIKE KIND OF OUTSIDE OF OUR SEASON, BUT IT’S SO IMPACTFUL. PEOPLE COME UP, THEY’RE ABLE TO KIND OF SELECT THE BOOKS. WHAT I LOVED IS THAT HOW MANY LITTLE KIDS THAT WOULD SEE THE BOOKS ON BOARD PICTURE BOOKS AND BE LIKE, MOM, THIS LITTLE GIRL LOOKS LIKE ME. AND THEY’D RUN OFF WITH THEIR NEW BOOK. IT’S IT’S SO LOVELY. IT’S BEEN A WONDERFUL TIME. THAT IS SO SPECIAL. AND HOW, WHAT HAS IT BEEN LIKE TO SEE THE PROGRESSION? YOU KNOW, IT’S ONLY BEEN A FEW YEARS OF POPPY, RIGHT? YEAH. YOU KNOW, IT’S IT’S DEFINITELY BEEN A LEARNING CURVE. OMAHA PUBLIC LIBRARY HASN’T HAD A MOBILE LIBRARY LIKE THIS SINCE SOMETIME IN THE EARLY 80S. SO IT IS REALLY JUST AN ENTIRELY NEW WORLD. SOME COOL FEATURES THAT WE HAVE ON BOARD THAT ARE DIFFERENT THAN IT WAS IN THE EARLY 80S. POPPY ACTUALLY HAS ITS OWN WI FI, AND IT IS ACCESSIBLE BY THE PUBLIC. IF YOU JUST STOP BY AND GET THE PASSWORD FROM US, WE HAVE A DISPLAY SCREEN, SO WE CAN ACTUALLY BE SHOWING VIDEOS IF WE WANTED TO. WE HAVE A BUILT IN MICROPHONE. WE HAVE BUILT IN SHADES. SO ON THOSE SUNNY DAYS, THE HOT DAYS WHICH ARE COMING, PEOPLE CAN STILL KIND OF COMFORTABLY HANG OUT WITH US AND TAKE A LOOK AT THEIR NEW BOOKS. LOTS OF COOL FEATURES. ALL RIGHT.