Library Bookmobiles: Find a Bookmobile Near You by State

Written by Mustafa Bilgic, Operator Sources checked: September 26, 2026
✓ Last Updated: September 2026 | Checked against official sources by Mustafa Bilgic, Operator

A bookmobile is a library on wheels: a truck or van with a collection of books, library staff and a regular schedule of stops. Bookmobiles visit neighborhoods, schools, senior homes and areas far from a library building. Hundreds of library systems still run them, and each posts its own schedule. Use the finder to list every library system in your state that reported a bookmobile to the federal Public Libraries Survey, with a phone number to call, then read what you can do once you climb aboard.

Find a bookmobile in your state

Choose a state to list every library system that reported a bookmobile in the latest federal Public Libraries Survey (fiscal year 2024), with the system's main phone number and how many hours its bookmobiles were open. Add a city or county to narrow the list.

Pick a state to see its library bookmobiles.

What counts as a bookmobile

The federal Public Libraries Survey, run by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), defines a bookmobile as a traveling branch library. To count, it needs a truck or van that carries an organized collection of library materials, paid staff, and regularly scheduled hours at bookmobile stops. Libraries report the number of vehicles in use, not the number of stops.

Some libraries call their vehicles mobile libraries. Laramie County Library System in Wyoming describes its Mobile Library as a traveling branch that brings books, technology and library services into neighborhoods across the county, and San Francisco Public Library runs a YouthMobile, a TechMobile and a Library on Wheels for older adults.

How many bookmobiles are on the road

In the fiscal year 2024 survey files, the newest on the IMLS website (documentation dated June 2026), 637 library systems reported a total of 780 bookmobiles. That is about 7 percent of the 9,249 library systems in the file. Kentucky has the most (74), followed by Ohio (68), California (65), South Carolina (35) and Washington (33). The District of Columbia and New Hampshire reported none.

Most systems run a single vehicle: 551 of the 637 have one. These run four or more:

Library systemStateBookmobiles
King County Library SystemWashington12
Saint Louis County LibraryMissouri9
Stark County District LibraryOhio5
Timberland Regional LibraryWashington5
Baltimore County Public LibraryMaryland4
Harris County Public LibraryTexas4
Hart County Public LibraryKentucky4
LA County LibraryCalifornia4
Riverside County Library SystemCalifornia4
San Francisco Public LibraryCalifornia4
Seattle Public LibraryWashington4
Topeka and Shawnee County Public LibraryKansas4
Williamsburg Regional LibraryVirginia4

Our count from the IMLS Public Libraries Survey FY 2024 public-use system file (PLS_FY24_AE_pud24i.csv), downloaded September 26, 2026. Names as reported to IMLS.

What you can do on board

A bookmobile works like a small branch. Here is what five library systems say about theirs:

  • LA County Library (California) has run bookmobiles since the 1940s. Its fleet of 4 serves areas without a library building nearby, and each 27 to 33 foot vehicle holds 2,500 titles or more.
  • Rochester Public Library (Minnesota) says its bookmobile carries more than 4,500 items, including books, audiobooks, magazines and DVDs, and has a wheelchair lift. To get a hold on board, choose "Bookmobile" as your pickup library.
  • Jefferson-Madison Regional Library (Virginia) has run a bookmobile since 1946. You can browse, place holds and pick them up at your stop, and keep bookmobile items for a month with one renewal. They can go back to any of its branches.
  • Laramie County Library System (Wyoming) lets visitors browse and check out materials, pick up requested items, return library materials and sign up for a library card at any Mobile Library stop. A valid Laramie County card is needed to check out.
  • San Francisco Public Library brings its Library on Wheels to senior residences, day centers and hospitals, where people can get library cards, request materials for later pickup and return books.

Finding the schedule or asking for a stop

  1. Check the library's bookmobile page. LA County Library posts a route and schedule for each of its four bookmobiles, Rochester has a stop map that shows which stop is open right now, and Jefferson-Madison lists its stops day by day.
  2. Watch for weather changes. Jefferson-Madison's bookmobile does not run when Albemarle County Public Schools close for bad weather, and Rochester tells patrons to watch its website, social media and email notices for schedule changes.
  3. Ask for a stop. Jefferson-Madison and Laramie County both have request forms, and San Francisco invites preschools, childcare centers and elementary schools to ask about becoming a YouthMobile stop. Rochester says it chooses stops based on distance from the downtown library and other stops, population density, ease of access, usage and circulation.
  4. Call. The finder above lists each system's main phone number from the federal data. Schedules change more often than the data, so call before you plan a trip around a stop.

If you cannot get to a stop

Some libraries mail books instead. The Public Libraries Survey counts books-by-mail-only services as their own outlet type, a mail order service that typically serves rural residents, people with disabilities, homebound people and others without another library outlet. Only three turned up in the fiscal year 2024 file: Mid-Continent Public Library's Library by Mail in Independence, Missouri, an outreach service of the PAL Public Library Cooperative in Gainesville, Florida, and one at Fort Worth Public Library that was reported as temporarily closed.

Some libraries list home delivery as its own service. Laramie County lists homebound services next to its Mobile Library, and Ocean County Library in New Jersey lists Homebound Services among its services, so ask your library what it offers. If low vision or another disability makes regular print hard to read, see our guide to the talking book library, and our library accessibility guide covers other services.

National Library Outreach Day

The American Library Association's National Library Outreach Day, formerly National Bookmobile Day, celebrates bookmobiles and other outreach. ALA holds it every year on the Wednesday of National Library Week; in 2026 it fell on Wednesday, April 22. It is a good day to look for special bookmobile events near you.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a library bookmobile?

A traveling branch library. The federal Public Libraries Survey counts a bookmobile when a truck or van carries an organized collection, has paid staff and keeps regularly scheduled hours at its stops.

How do I find a bookmobile near me?

Choose your state in the finder to see which library systems reported bookmobiles, with phone numbers. Then check that library's website: LA County Library, Rochester Public Library and Jefferson-Madison Regional Library all post schedules or stop maps.

Can I get a library card on the bookmobile?

At some libraries, yes. Laramie County Library System lets you sign up for a card at any Mobile Library stop, and San Francisco's Library on Wheels issues library cards on board.

Can I return library books to the bookmobile?

At some libraries. Laramie County's Mobile Library and San Francisco's Library on Wheels take returns, and Jefferson-Madison lets you return bookmobile items to any of its branches.

How many bookmobiles are there in the United States?

In the fiscal year 2024 Public Libraries Survey files, 637 library systems reported 780 bookmobiles. Kentucky, Ohio and California reported the most.

Is there a National Bookmobile Day?

It is now called National Library Outreach Day. The American Library Association holds it on the Wednesday of National Library Week; in 2026 that was April 22.

Related Library Guides

Library Hours Near Me Public Library Near Me Talking Book Library Get a Library Card Online US Libraries Directory Library Accessibility Services

Sources

Every rule, fee and figure on this page comes from the official page listed here. We read each one on September 26, 2026. The finder uses the latest federal data (fiscal year 2024). Routes and stops change often, so confirm with the library before you go.