In the 1920s, the Newton Free Library jumped into the new automobile craze, bought a Model-T and fastened it into a mobile library. And Newton’s bookmobile program would spread the joys of literature throughout the city for seven decades, before economic recession and budget constraints slammed on its breaks, presumably forever.

But everything old is new again. And around a hundred years after the launch, Newton is bringing back its bookmobile to meet the demands of the modern age.

Mayor Marc Laredo mentioned the bookmobile as something the city was bringing back this year, part of the “building community” pillar of his agenda for the city.

“With people’s busy lives and everything else, we’re getting the library out into the community with events and activities,” Newton Chief Community Services Officer John Rice said. “Having a mobile library has always been discussed, and I think it was time.”

Classic car enthusiasts will be sad to learn the new bookmobile will not be a Model-T. But it will be fitted with all the bells and whistles that today’s curious young minds—and state vehicle safety laws—require.

The specifics of the bookmobile program still have to be worked out, Rice said, and that may happen after a new director is hired at the library.

When the program is launched, the library can work out a schedule that gets the biggest benefit, including collaborating with event organizers, incorporating school registration days and more.

“People have talked about having the bookmobile, the mobile library, out at village days,” Rice said. “There are so many community events that the city’s running right now.”

The city has already bought the new bookmobile, and it’s just a matter of crafting a program for it. There will be a “groundbreaking” ceremony for the new whip when it’s ready for the road.