Bookmobile will be located in city hall parking lot

Many people are fans of reading and would like nothing more than to peruse through a selection of free books. The Bell County Public Library is providing just such an opportunity at the Middlesboro City Hall parking lot via the organization’s Bookmobile.

Jessica Cloud and Piddle Osborne, employees of the Bell County Public Library District, were at the city hall parking lot on Tuesday with a wide selection of books that could be had at no charge.

“We’ve been doing this since the middle of September, giving away free books,” Osborne said. “Every day that it’s a pretty day, we will be out here. Just look on the city parking lot for the Bookmobile.”

The selection of free reading material covers a lot of different genres.

“We have brand new children’s books,” Osborne said. “We have westerns, we have Christian fiction, we have general fiction, we have science fiction. Books for youth, juveniles, young people, high schoolers.”

Osborne added there are also other sorts of materials available.

“We have all kinds of books and magazines with recipes and such,” Osborne said.

The books are being given away for a number of reasons.

“We have some books that have been withdrawn from the library, that maybe haven’t been checked out in a couple years, or they may be a duplicate book,” Osborne explained. “Every day that it’s a pretty day, not raining or snowing and the temperature is fairly warm, we’ll be out here with free books, and we want people to come by and pick them up.”

Osborne mentioned the Middlesboro Public Library is currently closed for remodeling.

“What they’re doing is offering curb service,” Osborne said. “If somebody wants the latest James Patterson book or the latest Danielle Steele or something like that, they can call, then go over to the library and call from their cell phone and they’ll bring it out to them.”

Osborne added the Pineville Public Library is open to the public and anybody with a Bell County Public Library card can obtain full services there.