St. Louis Cardinals Sponsor New St. Louis County Library Bookmobile

In celebration of National Library Outreach Day (formerly National Bookmobile Day), St. Louis County Library Foundation is thrilled to announced that Cardinals Care, the charitable arm of the St. Louis Cardinals, is donating $200,000 to sponsor a new bookmobile in support of the effort to replace the current St. Louis County Library (SLCL) bookmobile fleet. 

“The Cardinals have been a longtime supporter of the Library,” said Kristen Sorth, St. Louis County Library Director & CEO. “Their investment in literacy has made a real impact on our community. Sponsoring a new bookmobile will continue that legacy, and will help open up a world of discovery and enjoyment for students for years to come.” 

SLCL is also releasing a limited-edition Cardinals library card to celebrate the bookmobile announcement. All SLCL branches will have a supply of the Cardinals library card. Information on how to obtain a card is available at www.slcl.org/content/library-cards.

“Cardinals Care is proud to be a partner of the Library both on the bookmobile and Cardinals library card to help provide children and their families greater access to books and all the resources that the library has to offer,” said Michael Hall, Vice President, Community Relations & Executive Director, Cardinals Care.

The new Cardinals Care bookmobile will feature a distinctive wrap celebrating baseball and literacy, and will house a collection of approximately 5,000 items featuring a diverse range of authors, genres and age levels. There will be a dedicated Cardinals shelf featuring book selections made by Cardinals players, alumni and team mascot Fredbird all of which will be available for kids to check out. The vehicle includes an accessible lift for ADA access, ensuring all patrons can access the bookmobile safely. The interior will have removable seating for visitors, two staff stations where kids can check out books or ask questions, and multiple skylights to provide abundant natural light. Also included is a 21-foot awning to provide shade and shelter for outdoor access and activities as well as a cradlepoint router to provide extended WiFi access in areas where the bookmobile will visit. The new Cardinals bookmobile is expected to be operational in the second half of 2024.

SLCL’s Bookmobile & Mobile Services operates four school bookmobiles that visit more than 50 public and private schools throughout 11 school districts in St. Louis County. In 2022 school bookmobiles checked out 291,522 items to students and issued over 7,550 new library cards. Bookmobiles made 840 visits to schools and provided service to nearly 274,293 children. In 2022 there was a constant increase in the amount of school districts and sites that requested bookmobile service as it is a reliable and engaging way to enhance literacy initiatives.

SLCL has been using bookmobiles since 1947. These mobile libraries eliminate many barriers to service and open up a world of discovery and enjoyment for area students. For many young people in St. Louis County, the bookmobile is the only contact they have with the Library. SLCL’s current bookmobile fleet is aging and in need of replacement and for this reason, SLCL has made school bookmobile replacement a major priority in 2023 ensuring the Library District can continue providing equitable services to students in St. Louis County.

To learn more about mobile services at St. Louis County Library, please visit https://www.slcl.org/content/bookmobile-mobile-services.

Media inquiries should be directed to Jennifer McBride, SLCL Communications Manager at 314-994-3300 ext 2250 or jmcbride@slcl.org.