Contact: Stephanie Miller
608-267-8823
Today, Dane County Executive Joe Parisi cut the ribbon for the new home of the Dane County Library Service in Blooming Grove. The new location will make it easier for the Dane County Library Service to store library materials and house the Bookmobile and the Readmobile that bring books to outlying communities in Dane County.
“The Dane County Library Service provides countless services to ensure that all of Dane County’s residents, from preschoolers to those living in senior centers, have access to reading materials,” said County Executive Joe Parisi. “This new headquarters will allow the Library Service to operate in a more cohesive and effective way to better serve Dane County residents.”
The Dane County Library Service headquarters was previously located at the Dane County Job Center. This new location in Blooming Grove will provide more space and will make it easier for daily deliveries by the South Central Library System. The facility, located along Stoughton Road, offers the Bookmobile and the Readmobile easy access to main highways like the Beltline, Highway 51, and Highway 151.
“Dane County Library Service is thrilled to have found a permanent home in a terrific location that improves access to Bookmobile routes,” said Dane County Library Service Director Tracy Herold. “The new garage allows us to properly care for and load both vehicles, especially in the winter. The space suits our function very well and we appreciate everyone who helped make it a success.”
Dane County reached a $1.4 million agreement with the Town of Blooming Grove in the fall of 2016 to buy three of the Town’s facilities. A total of $2 million was included in County Executive Parisi’s 2017 budget to purchase and remodel the facilities for the new Library Service headquarters. In addition to housing Dane County Library Services, the Bookmobile, and the Readmobile, the buildings also shelter emergency response vehicles utilized by Dane County Emergency Management.
The Bookmobile is a mini-library on wheels that makes weekly visits to communities throughout Dane County. It currently serves the communities of Shorewood Hills, Dane, Paoli, Mount Vernon, Blue Mounds, Cottage Grove, Owl Creek, Waubesa Heights, Brooklyn, Bristol, Morrisonville, Windsor, Westport, Roxbury, Martinsville, and Springfield. The Bookmobile’s counterpart, the Readmobile, provides outreach library services to various Dane County communities, including day centers and Head Starts. The Readmobile offers collections and programming resources to at-risk children by working with community partners.
The Dane County Library Service provides many other services to the residents of Dane County. At-risk children, elderly housing complexes, senior centers, and other community groups are served, as are individuals such as people who are homebound or who have disabilities. For a full list of services visit: http://www.dcls.info/services.
