OUR MISSION

Empowering children to be readers!

OUR VISION

• Every child in our community will have access to books at his or her independent reading level.
• Every child in the community will have the opportunity to own books.
• All programs and materials are free.
• The bookmobile is open to all children in our community but specifically targets our at-risk population.
• The bookmobile provides opportunities for children to engage in literacy activities during summer months.  Engaging in literacy activities over the summer helps decrease summer reading regression.
• The bookmobile is designed to be a free, non-lending mobile library for children under the age of 18.  
• Each time children visit the Bookmobile, they are given a free book and a snack.
• In cooperation with OCSD, the bookmobile staff tracks key information to document both quantitative and qualitative outcomes.

The Oswego Bookmobile was founded in 2011 to combat an alarming trend.  Testing indicates that economically disadvantaged children in the Oswego City School District are significantly less proficient in reading than their more affluent peers. By eighth grade, there is a 40% gap between the percentage of economically disadvantaged children who are proficient in reading and the percentage of their peers who are proficient!  This is due, in large part, to having limited access to books at their reading level in their homes and neighborhoods during the summer months. This trend is commonly referred to as the “summer reading slide” and has a significant, long-term impact on the academic success of children.

The Oswego Bookmobile drives to areas with the highest concentration of children from low-income families in the city of Oswego and Scriba during summer vacation.  At each stop, our dedicated literacy specialists help children select books to own and excite them about reading.  Every week features a different theme with related books, hands-on activities, giveaways, and read-alouds.

In 2021, Driving Books Home-Oswego Bookmobile delivered a Covid-19 safe program. 3,450 books were selected by young readers. 1,262 children visited the bookmobile 2,934 times during the regular scheduled program and selected 2,934 healthy snacks. Oswego Bookmobile also appeared at the City of Oswego Summer Bash and the Lions Club Craft Show.