Press Releases
- 6-15-22 T-Mobile Unveils Chelsea District Library as one of the next 25 Hometown Grants recipients
- 7-19-22 CDL Receives Grant from Chelsea Community Foundation for Mobile Library!
- 8-18-22 CDL Receives $5,000 Donation Towards Mobile CDL
- 9-22-22 CDL Exceeds Mobile CDL Fundraising Goal!
- 12-9-22 CDL Receives $5,000 Pledge from Green Tree Pediatrics!
- 4-14-23 Celebrate National Bookmobile Day at CDL!
Why Mobile CDL?
Mobile CDL is an initiative aimed at expanding access to the library’s materials, staff, technology, and services. The Chelsea District Library service area encompasses 110 square miles and includes the City of Chelsea, Sylvan and Lyndon Townships and portions of Lima and Dexter Townships that are within the Chelsea School District. Within our service area, the City of Chelsea represents 3.3% of the geographic area and 35% of its population. The surrounding townships account for 106 of the 110 square miles in our service area and 65% of its population. Research indicates library usage increases with proximity to the building. Mobile CDL will address the geographic barriers of our service area, increase accessibility to library materials and services, and encourage greater library participation.
What Are Current Barriers to Access?
In the 2020–23 Strategic Plan, we identified the following barriers to library access:
- Circumstance—Mobility and Disabilities
- Economic/Transportation Challenges
- Limited Information & Technology Literacy & Access
- Physical Distance – Research indicates that proximity to a library increases usage.
What Will Your Mobile Library Look Like?
Mobile libraries have come a long way from this! Watch the videos below for a peek into a modern mobile library.
Driven to Engage, Inspire, Equip!
- Mobile CDL will bridge the digital divide by providing access to technology with Wi-Fi internet access and hands-on training to access the library’s digital tools and services.
- People will gain access to CDL’s physical and digital collections.
- Chelsea School District students will have the opportunity to improve literacy skills.
- Office services like copying, scanning, and faxing will be available.
- It will emulate the experience users get entering the doors of the library, including the personal engagement with friendly CDL staff.
- It will be ADA compliant and environmentally friendly.
The Bee a Part of It fundraising campaign that helped bring Mobile CDL into library services was inspired by the generosity of the family of longtime library Friend, board member, and bookkeeper Mary Budzinski—affectionately known as Mary B.