Karen Greene | Movers & Shakers 2016 – Community Builders

Known as “The Librarian on the Move,” Greene has a vision “to pair the promotion of alternate modes of travel with literacy and to make reading more visible and available,” writes nominator Lisa Bunker, electronic resources librarian at Pima County Public Library (PCPL). Inspired by similar projects in Illinois, Greene founded the first-ever public library–sponsored Bookbike program in January 2012, giving free books to people of all ages at various stops and events in Tucson. As of this January, 1,064 miles have been pedaled on the library’s fleet of three bikes, and nearly 40,000 books given away to nearly 39,000 individuals. While the stats are impressive, Greene emphasizes that “it’s really about the personal stories and connections.”