The Pere Quart bookmobile of the Generalitat de Catalunya has not been running since January in 18 towns in the Pyrenees that do not have a public library. The interruption began after the retirement of its driver, Aleix Gistau, after more than 40 years of service.
The vehicle's stoppage has left municipalities in Pallars Jussà, Pallars Sobirà, Alta Ribagorça, and Alt Urgell without their usual service, even though the Department of Culture has already launched two calls to fill the position. Both were left vacant, and the third is still open, with a resolution expected from next week.
Two calls were left vacant and Culture is now interviewing new candidates
The Minister of Culture, Sònia Hernández, conveyed this information in a parliamentary response to the ERC deputy for Lleida and mayor of Llavorsí, Josep Vidal. In parallel, the director of the territorial services of Culture in the Pyrenees, Iolanda Ferran, confirmed that the department is already interviewing the people who applied to the call of May 5.
The main obstacle to filling the position lies in the conditions of the route. The bookmobile travels through several Pyrenean counties from Monday to Friday, and the driver must spend the night away from home, a requirement that makes hiring difficult.
While the process remains open, the department has set up a temporary distance library lending service managed through the town councils. The measure aims to maintain access to books in the affected towns until the vehicle resumes its service.
The route reaches four counties in the Pyrenees and has been operating since 1982
The Pere Quart began providing service in 1982 in Pallars Jussà and Alta Ribagorça. The network expanded to Pallars Sobirà in 1995 and added three towns in Alt Urgell in 2021.
Its name refers to the pseudonym of the poet Joan Oliver, who drove a bookmobile for the Library Service at the Front of the Generalitat during the Civil War. The current mobile service covers towns without a fixed public library and complements the network that Culture maintains in the mountain counties.
In addition to this unit, the Department of Culture operates another mobile library in Lleida for towns in Segrià and Les Garrigues. In the case of the Pere Quart, the department is working on an initial proposal to improve the driver's remuneration.
On May 12, Sònia Hernández stated that the department is studying the feasibility of incorporating some economic supplement in the future to make the position more attractive.