Adventure Begins Onboard LINC: A Magic School Bus Summer Experience

Posted on May 30, 2024 at 6:00 am

By Erin Dodge

Experience LINC

Whenever I talk to someone who has visited LINC, our mobile library, I’ve heard nothing but high praise for the ingenuity of it, especially how everything fits inside. And I agree—who knew a whole library could fit in such a compact space?

But that’s the thing, when you step inside, LINC doesn’t feel small or cramped. And library staff can help you find a good book, use the Wi-Fi, and get a library card. Plus, they always have an activity to try out.

If you haven’t already stepped into LINC, I hope you’ll check it out soon. It has regular visits to locations throughout the county, including farmers’ markets, churches, fire stations, food kitchens, and more.

This summer, you might spot LINC at community festivals and celebrations. I invite you to stop in (and cool down—it’s temperature controlled!) and see what you can find and do while visiting our mobile library. Keep reading to learn more about LINC’s summer activities.

Q & A: Summer Activities Onboard LINC

Our summer Engage issue has a page focusing on LINC and its summer activities. To learn more about what you can expect while visiting, I reached out to Brianna, the Mobile Services Supervisor, and asked her a few questions.

Erin: LINC is turning into the Magic School Bus this summer with themes and activities that people can enjoy during their visits. Would you tell us about what visitors can expect in June?

Brianna: Our theme for the month of June is focused on dinosaurs. Visitors will be able to search for dinosaur fossils, experience felt-board activities, and play our dinosaur skeleton match activity. We will also have dinosaur-themed coloring and activity sheets, including word searches and more!

Erin: How about LINC’s theme and activities for July?

Brianna: We’re voyaging through the solar system in July! Visitors will have the opportunity to experience our spaceship control board activity, build a foam rocket, create a paper-tube telescope, and more. We will also have solar system-themed coloring and activity sheets available.

Erin: And to wrap up summer fun, what themed activities will you have onboard LINC for folks in August?

Brianna: Visitors can learn all about the human body and discover how it functions. They can explore the composition of our blood through a sensory box with plastic spheres representing blood cells. They can create paper lungs, engage with felt-board activities, and more. We will also have human-anatomy-themed coloring and activity sheets available for all ages.

Erin: For those who have yet to come aboard LINC, what else will they find when they visit the mobile library this summer?

Brianna: A full library experience! Visitors can check out new titles and materials, apply for a library card, print documents, pick up their holds, and more. We will also have Take-and-Make Activity Kits and Mobius STEAM Kits to continue the adventure at home or on the go. Visitors will also be able to checkout materials related to each monthly theme while onboard LINC.

Videos with LINC & Mobile Services Staff

See LINC in action throughout Spokane County, and learn about what it’s like to visit our mobile library.

Requesting Materials for Hold on LINC

Did you know there are over 2,000 items available for check out on LINC? That gives you a lot of options when visiting. You can also request any item in the SCLD collection and choose LINC as your pickup location.

Placing a hold for library materials that you can pick up while visiting LINC is the same as for any SCLD library. For the “I want to pick this up at” drop-down menu, select “Mobile Services” as your location (see screenshot below) and then click “Submit Hold Request.”

Mobile Services will contact you to confirm the LINC stop where you plan to pick up the library materials you’ve requested. And when your hold is ready, head to the LINC stop to pick it up.

Because LINC stops are about one visit per location each month, Mobile Services will keep your holds until the next time LINC visits your stop, which could be longer than the usual 7 days that holds are available for pickup at our other libraries.

Mobile Services also recommends requesting materials for holds at least 7 days before their next visit to your stop. This allows time for them to contact you and verify which stop, as well as time for getting the materials onboard LINC and placed in the spot for holds.

If you have questions about placing holds for pickup on LINC, please contact Mobile Services using the email or phone number below.

Bring LINC to an Event

You can invite LINC to your school, neighborhood, or community event, by contacting our Mobile Services team:

• Send an email to mobileservices@scld.org
• Call 509.893.8407

Mobile Services request that you make your request at least two weeks before the scheduled event. Please note that LINC visits are dependent on the availability of staff and resources.

Erin Dodge is the communication specialist for SCLD, writing and editing content the library’s website as well as print media. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, going to yard sales and thrift stores, reading, playing online games, and experiencing all the beauty the Inland Pacific Northwest has to offer.

Tags: books, community, LINC, mobile library, mobile services