Barlow said the library values its partnership with the fire department and police and tries to take advantage of the inherent educational opportunities.
 
The truck has certainly turned the library's approximately 35 fire safety books into hot property, according to its staff. "This is a great way to make young children aware of fire safety. They wanted to get that message across and they've done so very well," library manager Trish Miller said.

Miller said young children want to crawl all over the truck, older children like pretending to be firefighters and even adults appreciate the engineering feat it represents. Parents and children can often be seen reading together in the cab, which has a sloped dash perfect for holding books and can seat three adults or twice as many children.

The staff also takes full advantage of the flashing lights, flicking them on to kick off storytimes and library tours. "It's quite wonderful how it's part of the children's landscape and it's become part of the tools that we use and a way to share the books that we have," Miller said. With a chuckle, she added: "It certainly is a beacon. I'm just glad it doesn't have a siren on it."

As the builder and a dad, Olsen appreciates the fact that it doesn't have all the bells and whistles. "We chose it to be a quiet place to read. I think that's fantastic. We need more kids to read, to pick the literacy up. Everybody's into the big computer age and everybody forgets about the book. Hopefully it will bring people back into the library and be part of the community."