Have you heard of the Book Hive? It’s a full-size school bus that has been transformed into a mobile media center. The bus makes the rounds in the Memphis, Michigan area, providing children with access to books, technology, and activities. Memphis’ mascot is the Yellowjackets, so the “Book Hive” is the perfect name.

The mastermind of this ambitious undertaking is Meran Khon, a Memphis Public Schools librarian and technology teacher.

Khon said, “I first was inspired in 2019 to create a Book Bus by the Barry County YMCA’s BEE BUS.  I saw an article about it in a news magazine in the Charlevoix library on vacation and thought what a terrific idea it was.”

Khon said that she saw her purpose as the Memphis elementary librarian and tech/stem teacher to provide students with access to books, mobile technology, and literacy/STEAM activities. The Book Hive rolls primarily during the summer, but also makes appearances throughout the year at school and community events.

Khon said that one of the educational goals at Memphis Elementary, a Title 1 Building with many students from low-income households, is to promote a culture of reading within classrooms and at home, creating readers who enjoy books (for both information and pleasure) for the rest of their lives. The bus also provides students with technological, vocational, and STEM skills. The bus provides students with academic and social support and connects with students in a fun setting. Khon said, “Memphis School District was going to sell an unused school bus, so I asked the superintendent at the time, Brad Gudme, if we could repurpose it for a Bookmobile for the school.  Mr. Gudme and my principal, Susan Hankins, were enthusiastic and on board with the project, but we needed to secure funding from outside sources, so I went about writing a grant to the Community Foundation of St. Clair County.  Their Youth Advisory Council approved it and funding came from the Claude and Alexa Lawrence Fund.  They gave us our first $5000 and we began to remove the bus seats and purchase all the books from a Scholastic warehouse.”

Khon said, “At that point, COVID closed schools and the bus sat for almost a year and a half due to restrictions on who could enter the school building and be on school property, labor and supply shortages, etc.  Once the bus interior was stripped and work began again, it was 2022.  Outdoor Equipment is owned by parents of Memphis students and they coordinate and sponsor a large golf outing with Bad Boy Mowers each year, along with many other business partners.  Their fundraising helped pay for the paint and decal job on the bus exterior.  In June of 2022, I was awarded a 35G Innovative Community Library Grant from the Michigan Department of Education and received $100,500.  With those kinds of funds, we had more than enough to finish the bus and launch many other initiatives in our library as well.  We finished the cabinetry and shelving, repaired the battery, put a parking surface in place behind the library, and finished purchasing books and outdoor activity supplies for the bus.”

Over the summer of 2023, Memphis students participated in meet-and-read events at multiple local parks where they were able to picnic, participate in nature walks/scavenger hunts, use the playground equipment, and read aboard (and outside) the Bookmobile, according to Khon.

Visitors to the St. Clair County 4-H and Youth Fair may have spotted the bus in the children’s exhibition area. Khon said that the location provided thousands of people from many area communities the chance to climb aboard and read, use the outdoor Makerspace, and interact with books and materials. 

Khon said, “As next year shapes up, we will see how the plan for the Book Hive evolves! We are always looking for partners to coordinate with for Book Hive activities, so anyone with ideas for a book bus destination can email my principal or me at shankins@memphisk12.org or mkhon@memphisk12.org.”

Check out the BlueWaterParent.com Events Calendar to see where the Book Hive will be next.

Photos provided by Meran Khon

Story by Jennie Graves McClelland