SAGE SOCIETY MINUTES
Date: April 12, 2022
Location: Pat Conroy Literary Center, Beaufort, SC
Members in attendance:
Atkins, Sandi
Bomar, Lex
Gallagher, Diane
Hathaway, Barbara
Robertson, Alvesta
Stewart, Catherine
Stocks, Jerry
Thomas, Melba
Weeks, Martha
Koolkin, Larry
Guests: Saskia Amaro, Vicki Mix
Barbara Hathaway called the meeting to order at 4:00 pm
Member update: Catherine Stewart was introduced as a new member and given her badge
Approval of minutes of the March 8, 2022 meeting
General business discussed:
Sandi Atkins updated the members regarding the donation to Hopeful Horizons. Thanks to contributions of books from Holy Trinity Classical Christian School and the Friends of the Beaufort Library, as well as donations of books from members, we will have quite a sizable library to deliver to the shelter. Sandi will order a rug for the room and has already purchased stuffed animals and coloring books, to be added to those donated by members. We hope to deliver to the shelter by the end of May and help them set up the children’s library. There is also interest in creating a library for the women in the shelter which we will follow up on after May.
Presentation by Barbara Hathaway
Topic: Bookmobiles – Libraries Coming to You
Barbara presented a wonderful history of bookmobiles from their inception in the early 1900s to present. The idea of bookmobiles was conceived to provide access to books to unserved or inadequately served populations. In cities they served local neighborhoods and in more rural areas they extended out to reach people who lived in less populated communities.
Barbara presented a fascinating pictorial history of the conveyances used, from early horse drawn wagons, converted buses, and all types of motorized vehicles from both the US and internationally. Initially, the books were displayed on the outside of the vehicle but were later moved to the inside so patrons could enter the vehicle and browse at their leisure. Current bookmobiles, such as those owned in Beaufort County, have lifts to make them handicap accessible, are air-conditioned and have access to technology.
She recommended two books that provide fictional accounts of libraries in rural America in the mid-1900s using women to deliver books on horseback. One is The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes and the other is The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson.
There is currently a decreased demand for bookmobiles due to the rise of technology and digital access to books.
Meeting adjourned: 4:50 pm
Next regular meeting will be on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 at 4 pm
Updated list of presenters:
May 10: Debbie Gray – Forgotten Survivors: Widowed Servicemen’s Wives of WWII
September 13: Melba Thomas
October 11: Carla Marsj
November 8: Jen Moneagle
Respectfully submitted by Sandi Atkins, Secretary, on April 15, 2022
