The Lewis and Clark Library Bookmobile is a common sight around Helena, but this year you might see for the first time a new ride sporting library books and even Wi-Fi.
The book bike is the newest outreach tool for the Lewis and Clark Library. According to Bookmobile Librarian Bretagne Byrd, this summer will be the first time the bike can travel unimpeded.
The book bike is part of what the library calls "Words on Wheels." It was funded through a $10,000 grant via the Lewis and Clark Library Foundation in 2019. Byrd said she worked alongside Coaster Cycles in Bonner, Montana, to get a bike in the spring of 2019. Coaster specializes in bikes like the book bike, and after about six months was able to fulfill the order. Byrd said she had wanted a book bike prior to this and so did library director John Finn. After receiving the bike, there were a few stops where the library was just figuring out where the bike fit into everything.