Back view of the TCL’s new van
There’s a new brightly colored and illustrated vehicle on northwestern Wyoming valley roads, and a quick look reveals twin themes to its graphics: books and people. Teton County Library has unveiled its outreach van, and with it, a home delivery service offering free pick up and drop off of library materials for patrons who find it difficult to visit the library in person.
“We’re always looking to remove barriers to access of the collection,” said Anna Barker, the Library’s Outreach Coordinator. “Free home delivery service is about as accessible as it gets. We’ll even issue you a library card.” Teton County patrons who are interested in home delivery can direct any questions to Barker at (307)733-2164, extension 3244, or email outreach@tclib.org.
“We learned during our strategic planning surveys in 2022 that some folks found it difficult to visit the library for a variety of reasons,” said Library Director Kip Roberson. Staff recommended that a vehicle to help reach these folks be added to the wish list of items to be funded by Teton County Library Foundation & Friends during the next few years.
“Last year Library staff approached us about an ideal vehicle that was available from a local auto dealer,” added Diana Peck, Executive Director of TCLFF. “Our Board gave approval to move ahead with purchasing and personalizing the van.”
Drayton Holcomb, a local graphic designer, personalized the van.
Next came outfitting the van with a custom design that would grab attention and become immediately identifiable with the library. Peck approached graphic designer Drayton Holcomb, with whom she’d already worked, and who had designed the iconic Sprout Mobile van. Holcomb’s final graphics are colorful and playful, conveying the importance both of books and of community, and representing Teton County in all seasons.
“The outreach van is like a moving mural,” said Peck. “The design details truly capture a sense of place, and our hope is that when the van is parked, community members will take a closer look and find themselves represented in the images.” Those images include people of all abilities on a bike/pedestrian path, climbing a gigantic book, reading, creating art, navigating a river, and skiing. There are even a jackalope and a rendering of the Library’s book bike.
Young Teton County patrons enjoy some peace and quiet in the new van at a recent Touch-a-Truck event.
The van is also establishing a presence at community events, such as the recent Touch-a-Truck event, at which it served as a quiet space with books, headphones and coloring pages amid the noisiness and busyness of truck horns and engines. Additionally, the van has popped up at Snow King Resort for gear repairs, at GTNP employee orientations, and several of the Grazing Rights food truck series, distributing free books and library information.
The Teton County Library has locations in both Jackson and Alta. Find out more about their programs for patrons of all ages on their website.