I am a Mobile Librarian (1960)
See how Sally Jenkins and her driver, Thomas, run Hertfordshire's mobile library service with military precision.
Little Hormead, Buntingford, Furneaux Pelham - just three of the villages visited by the mobile library on its fortnightly tour of East Hertfordshire. The film was commissioned by the Foreign Office, presumably, to present British society as efficient, educated and caring to audiences overseas. Librarian Sally Jenkins clearly derives much pleasure from her work, which she also regards as a hobby.
In 2015, the mobile library service continues to be a lifeline for inhabitants of some of the remotest areas of the county. Its route has changed but it still stops in Great Hormead and outside The Brewery Tap pub in Furneaux Pelham. Let's hope someone has taken on the role of Mrs Clark, who always supplied Sally and Thomas with a mid-morning coffee. Beckwith & Sons' antique shop and furniture restorers, featured in the film's first few frames, is still doing business in Hertford.
Director: Fred Moore
Duration: 13 minutes
Suggested credit: I am a Mobile Librarian (1960) © The British Film Institute