Cleaner, greener, smaller mobile libraries to hit Lincolnshire’s roads

New, environmentally-friendly mobile library vehicles are to be introduced as Lincolnshire County Council works to become carbon neutral by 2050.
Lincolnshire's mobile libraries set to be replaced with smaller, greener vehicles. EMN-191207-142622001Lincolnshire's mobile libraries set to be replaced with smaller, greener vehicles. EMN-191207-142622001
Lincolnshire's mobile libraries set to be replaced with smaller, greener vehicles. EMN-191207-142622001

The authority’s three large mobile libraries are coming to the end of their life and need to be replaced.

In future, the council will be using smaller, environmentally-friendly vans to serve 234 stops across Lincolnshire, meaning less space for such a wide range of books stocked on board. To make sure communities have easy access to books between visits, the county council is approaching a number of parish councils to offer a collection of books to be based within the local community.

Coun Nick Worth, executive member for libraries, said: “The council has already reduced its carbon footprint by 40 percent since 2008, and changes like this will help us achieve our aim of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

“The new and improved vehicles are cleaner and greener and far more practical for our narrow, rural lanes, which can be challenging for the larger mobiles.

“They also offer much better value for money. Most lease companies, including the one used by the council, no longer supply larger mobiles as they can be unreliable and are expensive to maintain.

“We’ll be selecting the books held in each vehicle so that they match the interests of customers along that particular route.

People can also make sure they get the ones they’re after by reserving them in advance, either online or by speaking to staff during their stop.

“That way, we can ensure our customers continue to get the books they want, while also doing our bit for the planet.”

The changes to the mobile library service are expected to be introduced later this year.