Bookmobile program
-800x300.jpg?MOD=AJPERES&CACHEID=ROOTWORKSPACE.Z18_6IH81240MO2M00A9420PHQ3004-9b1b1150-22f4-4929-b9a9-e0cbbafa2892-ook2C.Z)
What is the bookmobile program?
The Krissi Holman Family Resource Library and Children’s Collection and the Karahan Family Resource Library at our Dallas and Plano campuses offer a variety of services and programs for patients and families.
Librarians and volunteers take our book mobile and book carts to all areas of our inpatient and outpatient locations. The carts have books of all ages (board, chapter, young adult, adult, and Spanish) bookmarks and activity packets so each family can select their forever book and packet to take home. The activity packets contain adult, teen and child coloring pages, word games, library information, crayons, and color pencils for the entire family.
Our book mobiles and carts are a favorite among our staff, volunteers, and families. Librarians often receive praise that visiting our libraries and/or interacting with us and volunteers make them feel like they are not in a hospital, and have praised our programs and services in helping their child develop their love of reading and preparing them for school.
Many families visit the library every day of their stay to play, read and take a book from our one for the road shelf. A common thread among our volunteers is the connection they have when taking the book mobile carts to the patient rooms, waiting areas and clinics. Breaking through language barriers, seeing the joy on the faces of the patients and families as well as the smiles from the clinicians and knowing just for a moment the weight has been lifted from the difficult times and situations the families are going through.
In our outpatient clinics our weekly student and summer volunteers and on occasion donors, have been profoundly impacted by seeing families select their books and immediately begin reading them. Artwork/coloring pages given to them by the patients and siblings become instant treasures.
Many of our families do not have adequate financial or transportation access to books. This is why the librarians are so passionate about getting books into the hands of our patients, families, and staff, and thankful to our many generous donors for the new books and trinkets we receive throughout the year.