In a world where new discoveries in technology are being made every day, our attention spans have only grown shorter. One local resident has found a way to confront that in her own special way.

Melissa Derby, who lives in K.I. Sawyer, has started a “pass-along” book program to get used books in the hands of people who might want to read them.

This proud stay-at-home mom says her other passion is her “bookmobile,” which really isn’t a bookmobile in the traditional sense as much as her distributing books in her van.

The idea started with a visit to the Victory Lutheran Church Thrift Store in K.I. Sawyer.

Derby noticed what was being done with unsold books.

“What they couldn’t sell they were throwing away in the dumpster,” she said.

Not wanting the books to be discarded, Derby said she could disburse them to other places.

Those places included local nursing homes, and the Jacobetti Home for Veterans and Mill Creek Senior Living Community, both in Marquette.

“I kind of replaced their whole library,” Derby said of Mill Creek.

That left her with a dilemma.

“All of a sudden I had all these books left,” Derby said.

In August, she put free books on a table on her yard, and posted their availability on the Sawyer website.

It went well.

“I had just a great response for people wanting books, kids’ books, adult books,” Derby said. “They just kept messaging me for days afterwards.”

However, books continue to gather in her duplex.

Derby estimated she has 2,000 to 3,000 books in many genres, including romance, Western, self-help, health, cookbooks and children’s books.

Her method involves going to places such as the Gwinn Wellness Fair and the NICE Community Market Place, which took place at Aspen Ridge Elementary School in Ishpeming.

“It’s more like an exchange program,” Derby said. “If people finished their books and they don’t know what to do with them, they call me and I pick them up.”

She then cleans up the books and checks for their quality.

Why is Derby going to all this effort?

“My goal is to promote literacy and just kind of keep books alive,” she said. “We’re fighting a generation of video games and internet and cell phone kids.”

We commend Derby’s effort, and applaud her for pushing the notion of reading over screen time. It goes a long way, and can help sharpen imaginations much more than YouTube videos.

To learn more, or donate or receive books, contact Derby at 906-204-9406 or visit the Facebook page, Read UP Bookmobile.