Every summer, the St. Joseph’s Indian School Bookmobile hits the road with a purpose: bringing free books, needed supplies and friendly visits to Native American children, families, current students and alumni throughout South Dakota.
Over the course of the summer, the Bookmobile traveled 3,530 miles, distributed 18,910 free books, welcomed 1,891 people and visited with 91 alumni. Traveling from cities to small towns and through reservations, the Bookmobile made stops across the state to help ensure reading materials remain within reach for everyone, no matter where they live.
Helping with the summer’s travels was Alexandra, a Bookmobile intern and Notre Dame student. She arrived in South Dakota with the pedal to the metal and quickly became an important part of the Bookmobile team.
The work is rewarding, but it is not always easy. Some days involve visiting two or three different communities, loading and unloading books, preparing supplies, spending hours on the road and sleeping in hotels. In the course of a month, the Bookmobile can travel over 3,500 miles while serving communities across South Dakota.
“It can be really tiring,” Alexandra said. “But I have seen that there are barely any libraries around here, so the Bookmobile does serve a really good purpose.”
For some Lakota (Sioux) children, summer can be a difficult time to access books. Without a nearby library or the ability to purchase reading materials, young readers may go months without having books in their hands. The Bookmobile helps fill that gap by bringing books directly to the communities it serves.
Reading is important at every age, Alexandra said.
“It opens doors for your mind to think differently, to think more critically as well,” she shared. “I really believe reading does that for you. It is truly important for children and adults to read.”
The excitement is often visible even before the Bookmobile is fully set up. At many stops, people are already waiting when the St. Joseph’s team arrives. Alexandra said the Bookmobile staff sometimes have to ask eager visitors to wait a few minutes while they prepare, lay out the books and get everything ready.
That anticipation says a great deal about what the Bookmobile means to reservation communities.
“My favorite part of the Bookmobile is being able to interact with everyone,” Alexandra said. “It has been really uplifting and warm for me to interact with them. The work the Bookmobile does brings people a lot of joy. I’ve enjoyed seeing that part.”
Each stop shows that a book can be more than pages and words. It can be an adventure, a comfort, a learning opportunity or the beginning of a lifelong love of reading. Through miles of South Dakota roads, welcoming smiles and thousands of free books, the St. Joseph’s Bookmobile continues to bring that opportunity directly to the people it serves.
