Contra Costa’s new library literacy van rolling to where need lies

CONCORD, CA (Dec. 11, 2023) — Literacy begins to take root when reading enters the psyche of young lives. The effect of regular exposure to reading is priceless, and that reality becomes more powerful when books are involved.

That connection drove the Contra Costa County Library to pursue development of its Rolling Reader, a new early literacy outreach van designed to visit underserved communities and drive home the virtues of libraries. The Rolling Reader will allow the library to prioritize providing literacy services to children 0-5 years old in vulnerable communities impacted by poverty.

The county system debuted its new, all-electric van and the program’s offerings for a special audience at the Monument Crisis Center (MCC) on Nov. 15. Library staff handed out free books, presented a Spanish/English bilingual story time, and gave youngsters opportunities to do crafts and other activities focused on early literacy, small motor skills and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math).

“We recognized that to reach all our communities, we needed to get out of our buildings and take our services to the residents who need them most,” said county librarian Alison McKee. “The goal of the Rolling Reader is to instill a lifelong habit of reading and love for libraries.”

Partnership with non-profits

Grants totaling $155,000 from the Bella Vista Foundation and MCE paid for the outreach van. Funds through Measure X, a half-cent sales tax voters passed in 2020, provide staff for the van.

Library spokesperson Brooke Converse emphasized this is not the old-style book mobile that made regular visits to locations. Instead, the Rolling Reader will be at events with community partners that generally are not open to the public.

Future outreach visits will focus on organizations like Headstart, First Five, the Shields-Reid Community Center and MCC that share a similar demographic as the Rolling Reader program.

Meet Roxy the Fox

The atmosphere at the mid-November rollout was abuzz with excitement as youngsters walked around the colorfully painted van as part of a scavenger activity. They also chose free books from a nearby rack, had the chance to make a special button to mark the occasion and completed other hands-on art activities in the MCC parking lot.

The event introduced the library’s new mascot, Roxy the Fox. Pleasant Hill resident Raphael Isaacs, who has been on staff with the library since 2018, lent his artistic skills to developing the mascot’s imagery.

It began with the staff kicking around the idea, starting with where the character would live. After settling on a forest setting, the conversation moved to the animal that could go with Rolling Reader and Roxy just rolled off the tongue.

In keeping with the early literacy goal, Isaacs said the van’s whimsical theme and mascot have a “child-centric,” cartoony feel.

The fox was a great choice in 5-year-old Leila Havenar-Daughton’s book.

“That’s her favorite animal,” said her grandmother, Barbara Havenar, of Oakland.

A leg up in life

Adults and kids alike welcomed the program and van into their lives for the niche it fills when a library branch is too far away to access services or they don’t have reliable transportation. Many have to work during library hours, may not be trusting of government or are just unable to afford books.

“This is very nice,” said Russian-born Ekaterina Bek, who has called Concord home for the past year with her two children. She was all smiles as her youngster picked out books.

Library officials noted research that shows early and positive experiences with books set the stage for a child’s success in learning to read. Additionally, literacy skills are a strong predictor of health, employment status and overall success in life.