As summer winds down, Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) wraps up a successful Books on Buses program, having distributed over 2,400 free books, thanks to the partnership with Friends of the Knox County Public Library, as well as other donations from groups and individuals throughout the summer.
KAT plans to offer the program again next summer as well.
KAT kept books stocked in book holders on 20 buses that ran throughout the city, and also maintained a large book shelf at Knoxville Station.
“This has been such a great perk for our passengers,” says Melissa Roberson, Interim Director of Transit for the City of Knoxville. “We are so grateful to the hard-working volunteers at Friends of the Knox County Public Library who loaded up so many books for us over the course of the summer. The City of Knoxville’s Summer Intern Program provided us with some much-needed help to maintain the program – otherwise our own staff would have had trouble keeping up with the demand for books on our buses and at our Knoxville Station book shelf.”
KAT placed a sticker on the front of each book, and included a bookmark which listed bus routes to take to reach various library branches. The slogan explained the program simply: “Take a book. Bring a book to share. Enjoy the read; enjoy the ride.”
“We have gotten a great response from this program,” says Roberson. “We look forward to next summer and more great reading on buses.”