Libraries of all types have been around for hundreds of years.  In the United States, libraries of the early 1900s used remote book deposit stations to offer services to rural citizens.  These deposit stations were scattered across a county and restocked by subcontracted wagons. The subcontractors were not always reliable, so in 1905, the Washington County, MD library system introduced the first bookmobile to restock deposit stations and serve citizens directly.  This horse-drawn wagon worked for a few years until the first motorized bookmobile entered service in 1912.  This vehicle was a 1912 International Harvester with a specially constructed top with shelves for 300 books and enough storage room to re-supply four deposit stations on one trip.  The bookmobile covered an area of 500 square miles in a place where there was virtually no high school. Of course road conditions were so poor in 1912 that service was limited to about 9 months of the year.

Fast forward more than forty years to the 1950's, an era that could be considered the golden age of bookmobiles.

Thanks in large part to post-war commitments to fund library service to rural communities, bookmobiles came in a wide range of types and sizes from buses to station wagons.

As we reported in the February edition of Speedster, the AACA Library was recently promised a 1955 Chevrolet 3600 bookmobile that served residents of Anderson County, SC from 1956-1991.

We are now even more excited to report that the library officially took ownership of the bookmobile!

The transfer coincided with the Charlotte meet in early April so the vehicle was put on display for all to see.

The bookmobile was then safely transported to Hershey, PA where it now awaits its restoration.

Without the generosity of donors Tom Gibson & Dave Bowman of Crossroads Restorations in Anderson, SC, our dream of an AACA Library bookmobile would not have become a reality.

If you are interested in donating money towards the restoration of the bookmobile feel free to send donations directly to the library with a note explaining your intent.  With your help the bookmobile will be cruising the streets in the not-too-distant future!  

April Fools Joke Gone Wrong!

A few weeks back a story that shocked car collectors ripped its way around the Internet. The story began circulating a few days before April 1^st, stating that a certain Senator from NY, had the collector car hobby targeted straight in his cross hairs. The story was imbedded with a New York Times logo and similar fonts, making it appear as an official story. It addresssed the notion that the government was going to go after the gains on automobiles, collector cars in particular, to satisfy the ever-increasing debt that is burdening the US citizens.

Naturally this caused quite an uproar among antique and classic car enthusiasts. Please rest assured that the story was false and completely untrue, perhaps a very bad Aprils Fools joke gone terribly wrong!

Quoting Rick Kopec from The Shelby American Automobile Club (SAAC):

"While we enjoy a good April Fool's prank as much as anyone, we never envisioned that this one could spread so quickly or so widely beyond the Shelby American Automobile Club. We deeply regret if taking this story seriously has caused anyone any undue distress or embarrassment. To keep more of that from happening we would greatly appreciate it if you could forward this message to as many car enthusiasts as possible. If they forward it to others who can forward it to even more people, maybe this second message will catch up with and overpower the first one."

But this here IS for real:

For Sale - 1968 Chevrolet Impala SS Convertible - All Proceeds Benefit Library

You probably remember that in late 2010, Mr. William Seuch donated his 1968 Chevrolet Impala convertible to the library.  It was Mr. Seuch's desire that the library sell the vehicle to raise money for the library.  Well, the Impala is officially for sale and listed on Ebay through Sunday, April 24^th. 

The Ebay auction number is #130510323404 listed by seller "aacalibrarian".  A complete vehicle description can be found on Ebay and you may visit Hershey to see the vehicle.  Please bid often and please bid high!!! 

The Elegance At Hershey to feature some of the World's rarest and seldom seen cars

On June 12, 2011, some 60 rare, seldom seen automobiles will converge on the magnificent lawns of The Hotel Hershey© for The Elegance at Hershey. Many are one-of-a-kind custom built cars, such a trio of 1950s concept cars of Chrysler, Mercury, and Plymouth and the wild Rolls-Royce Phantom III by the Parisian firm Labourdette. Other iconic limited production vehicles include a 1931 "Blower" Bentley (1 of 50 built), and another supercharged sports racer, the 1931 Mercedes-Benz SSK Roadster (1 of 38), along with a crowd favorite Tucker 48. It's a rare opportunity to view just one of these great examples, but to be able to see an entire lawn of these four-wheeled sculptures is truly breathtaking!

1. Who built the world's first trucks? 

2. When did the tilt-cab truck first appear?

3. Why was the 1918 Nash called the Rambler Quad?

4. Who created the diesel engine?  

- $50 donation by the bank when you first use your card.

- Ongoing contributions made when you continue using the card.

- Low introductory APR on purchases and no balance transfer fees for 6 months.

- Enhance Visa Platinum benefits, including 24/7 Emergency Customer Service.

- Earn point at hundreds of participating online retailers.

- Choose one of the four created cards or upload your own vehicle.

- Show off your very own car on the front of card.

Visit the website to apply and learn more about the AACA Credit Card.

AACA has announced that it has partnered with Harris Connect(formerly Harris Directory) to produce the AACA member album. The last AACA roster was released in 2009. This will be the first time AACA has produced an album where members can submit pictures and/or essays. It is important to note that you do not have to purchase the album in order to have your listing included, but it is important for you to call the toll-free number and answer the questions that will allow us to include any additional information you would like to include. Many other clubs and organizations have these types of expanded albums and they are a big help to fellow club members. By partnering with Harris, a substantial savings to the club is realized and the potential for a significant royalty to the club is possible.

The 2012 AACA Album is a club publication that will feature contact information for all members, just as we have done in the past. Scheduled for release in the fall of 2011, it will be the most up-to-date and complete reference of members. This comprehensive volume will include your name and cars owned, as well as business, professional, residential and family information for members if you choose to permit. The edition will list members by AACA region and by geographic location.

We've contracted with Harris Connect to work on our behalf to produce the album and help us update our database. By now, all members should have received a postcard or an e-mail from Harris that informs them about the album project. You may call Harris at 877-252-5611 to update and verify your information. You may exclude certain information from being displayed in the album or ask us to completely exclude your name, but it is important that you update all information, as it is then in our records at AACA Headquarters.

Harris will let you know how you can reserve a copy of the album. Harris Connect understands the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of our database. Our contract with them strictly forbids them from selling or giving this information to a third party. Their privacy policy is available online at www.alumniconnections.com/olq/privacy.html