The Okotoks Public Library has a new set of wheels, thanks to some optimistic citizens.
“It started with a tour of the library, me and my friend Angela (Barnhart- Schwartz) came in to see the new library, and we asked, ‘Is there anything you’re missing?’” said Okotoks Optimist Club president Amy Giroux.
The answer library executive director Sarah Gillie gave was a book bike.
“It’s an electric bike that allows the library to take programs, services and collections out into the community, so it can be used to run a program like a storytime. We can bring books with us and let people check out books, we can bring craft supplies and do craft programs in the community,” said Gillie.
“It’s just a great way for us to get out there, meet people and share information about the library.”
Two students have been hired over the summer to facilitate programming on the bike, and with Okotoks’ extensive network of pathways, Gillie said there are plenty of opportunities.
“That’s one of the wonderful things, there’s lots of great paths for the students to take the book bike, lots of parks – the possibilities are just endless, quite frankly, what we can do with a book bike,” she said.
Libraries across the country have been adopting the concept of a book bike, with different incarnations depending on use and need.
“Within the last five years book bikes have really gained popularity,” Gillie said. “There’s libraries across Alberta, across Canada that have book bikes, and they all look different.
“That's the great thing about them, you can customize it to your needs; some have cargo on the front, some have trailers hitched to the back, there’s so many different options."
The bike was funded through sales of the Tim Hortons Smile Cookie fundraiser after the Optimist Club wrote a letter to the coffee chain, Giroux explained.
“We just kind of mentioned how our Optimist Club and Smile Cookie kind of fits together, and we want to bring more smiles and positivity together,” Giroux said.
“Our mission statement is to bring out the best in youth, the community and ourselves, and then our club goal is to develop youth citizenship, so youth who are hired through the library will be riding the bike and delivering programs to youth within the community.”
The club rose to notoriety with its beloved ‘Pumpkin Chunkin’ contest over the past four years, where local tinkerers build trebuchet siege engines to lob pumpkins... for charity.
Other contributions have been quality-of-life revitalizations to youth areas of the recreation centre, and they’ve got their sights set on upgrading a few parks in the community, Giroux added.
The e-bike was commissioned by Okotoks Optimist member Mark Crocker, who tapped an engineering firm he was familiar with.
“We had a local firm in Calgary do the custom work, and we kept the weight pretty low,” Crocker explained. “It’s safe, but it’s actually usable.
“The CEO of the engineering firm is a longtime resident of Okotoks, so I suggested if he had a spare welder, and it’s aluminum, so it’s not like any welder could do it – it's a specialist thing to keep the weight down.”
The end product is a workhorse that will be light on its feet with plenty of capacity for books.
“I think what the library’s got with the way it’s been designed and built is they got lots of flexibility in terms of what they can carry, how much they can carry, in a safe and economical way,” he said.
That includes a hill assist feature, to navigate slopes such as Veterans Way or 32 Street.
