The history of mobile libraries in the UK goes back to the 1920s. Although we don't have official counts of how many mobile library stops there are, there are likely to be between 15,000 and 20,000 in the UK, largely serving rural communities without access to other library services. These provide essential access to reading material and more.

This talk will look at the history of mobile library routes and stop data, from the books still in use today that detail using pins and string on a large OS map. It will then describe creating a standardised open data schema for mobile library stops, routes, and schedules, and geocoding existing mobile library data, often only available in PDF files with stop names like 'Opposite the willow tree'. Finally the talk will demo presenting that data using open source tools like PostgreSQL and OpenRouteService and web mapping software to use that data in modern applications, and explore the future potential for widescale open mobile library data.