As the rain is making a longer appearance in Santa Clarita than typically expected, many residents may find their go-to activity to include staying indoors, and even reading.
Luckily for them, the city of Santa Clarita debuted the “Library Express,” a mobile library filled with books and other educational resources for residents throughout the city, at the Old Town Newhall Library on Saturday.
Mayor Pro Tem Laurene Weste, alongside city mascot Sammy Clarita, discussed the incentive behind the new books-on-wheels mobile. Despite the downpour of rain Saturday morning, Weste credited the weather as the “perfect weather to curl up with a good book.”
“It’s just an honor to be here with you to celebrate the launch of this amazing, game-changing initiative. I can’t imagine anything better than having books brought to my neighborhood,” Weste said. “I’m thrilled that we are starting to embark on this exciting milestone with the city’s commitment to providing access to education and resources for all our residents, no matter where they live in our beautiful city.”
According to Weste, the Library Express is a repurposed “Go! Santa Clarita” bus, designed to directly visit the “underserved areas of [the] community.”
“With this launch, we’re going to bring to life a library without walls, for our city knows no limits. The Library Express will offer books, computers, classes, passport services, free Wi-Fi and even robotic resources for youth to learn coding skills, all while operating as a mobile hotspot in our city,” Weste said.
The exterior of the mobile matches the city’s aesthetic, and will be easily recognizable with the city’s rolling hills and even the words “inspire, educate, inform” written on the side.
Following the ribbon cutting event that took place in Newhall, the Library Express took its first ride to the Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros event at the Jo Anne Darcy Library in Canyon Country.
MV Transportation General Manager Ruben Mendoza took the podium to credit his team for their hard work.
“When it was first brought to us to put the library, the bookmobile, together, we looked forward to the designing of it, and the hard work that went into it,” Mendoza said. “[We want] to recognize the maintenance team that put their hard work and time into it, and we value the relationship that we have with the city of Santa Clarita, and we look forward to the years to come.”
Weste concluded the ceremony, prior to the ribbon cutting, by acknowledging the benefits of having the Library Express for children to access in the coming years.
“We would like to thank you all for being here today to celebrate this new chapter,” Weste said. “This is going to be a great way for education for our kids … and producing more kids that walk out [with] the joy of learning and knowing and traveling where you go anywhere in a book.”
