BOOKMOBILE TRUCKS TITLES TO EAGER READERS.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

They come for the latest Barbara Taylor Bradford novel or one of the tales of Tacky the Penguin. They even pick up ``Dumb and Dumber'' or ``Sense and Sensibility'' videos for the weekend - all in a vehicle about the size of an ice-cream truck.

And just like ice-cream vendors, the librarians who run the Las Virgenes Bookmobile know their customers will come as soon as the truck pulls to a stop. They're ready. They know exactly what their regulars want, and the books have been set aside.

``We have our regulars,'' said Corinna Chaney, who has been a bookmobile librarian for years. ``Some come in every week, some every two weeks. They have a pattern. We know their tastes, so we're usually ready for them.

``People like it because it's personal,'' she said. ``And we don't charge dues.''

Los Angeles County has had bookmobiles around since 1949, starting in the Antelope Valley, serving residents who live too far away from a branch library.

The Las Virgenes Bookmobile makes its rounds in the Santa Monica Mountains, making stops in Topanga Canyon and Point Dume, where most canyon residents go to get a book, as well as Calabasas and Hidden Hills, Chaney said.

The three bookmobiles have been relocated over the years as outlying areas have developed. But library officials can't seem to get rid of them. Residents don't want them to stop driving into their neighborhoods.

``We came to Calabasas because they didn't have a library. But when they got their own, they wanted us, too,'' Chaney said. ``They didn't want to let us go, which is fine with us.''

Shirley Choder said she started visiting the bookmobile at the Calabasas stop on Park Ora when she and her husband lived with their son and his family down the street. They would bring their grandchildren on a weekly basis.

But when Choder and her husband moved to Woodland Hills, they found themselves continuing the weekly trek to the bookmobile. They don't visit the library in Calabasas or Woodland Hills, Choder said.

``We love it here. They give us the best service. They are the nicest girls you would ever want to know,'' Choder said. ``Now we come on Wednesdays and we don't even visit our son.''

Choder said it doesn't hurt that she gets good tips on books. Kathy Sullivan, a part-time librarian who shares duties with Mahnoosh Maleki, had been waiting for Choder's visit and had a selection for her to look at. And Choder gave her input on the batch she had just finished reading.

``You know, I didn't like any of those books,'' Choder told Sullivan, setting her returns on the counter.

``I told you,'' said Sullivan, who had warned her about the selections. Hank Williams walks to the bookmobile from his home to pick up the latest best sellers, often picking up something for his wife, as well.

``It's the greatest thing going,'' Williams said. ``They're very good. They have a rapport with the local customers. You've got to do what you can to keep them open. Not just for us - they're great for the kids.''

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Photo

Photo: (color in CONEJO edition only) Librarian Corinna Chaney looks over a few things in the driver's seat of the Las Virgenes Bookmobile in Calabasas.

Tina Gerson/Daily News