SALEM TOWNSHIP — Driving a refurbished ambulance full of donated books, a Mount Abram Regional High School librarian took to the road to defeat the “summer slide” by giving away books.

In education, the term summer slide is used to describe the gradual deterioration of students’ learning skills and subject knowledge over summer vacation.

Inundated with research on this phenomena while studying for her master’s of library science degree at San Jose State University online, librarian Lori Littlefield decided to combat the slide in her district with “Reading Rescue.”

Using inspiration and connections from friends and family, Littlefield purchased an old ambulance to use in a rolling program similar to a bookmobile.

“I didn’t want a bus,” Littlefield said, asking what child would want to crawl around a bus in the summer.

She thought of a firetruck, but it, while large enough for the task, would require a special license endorsement.

It was March and Littlefield had already begun soliciting book donations at the four area elementary schools in her district as well as Mount Abrams High School when an opportunity presented itself.

Former Carrabassett Valley fire Chief Ron Morin, a friend of 25 years, was in possession of an old ambulance he thought was still in fine shape.

Littlefield said she didn’t want an ambulance, especially a white one with a big red stripe down the side.

Despite her misgivings, fate had decided that this wife of a retired EMT and mother of two EMTs would begin her new mission in an ambulance.

Morin offered to convert the vehicle to a more street-legal rolling library while Littlefield put her husband to work learning how to paint it solid red.

With the project well underway, she enlisted student Breanna Sargent of Strong to help develop a logo for both the ambulance and volunteer shirts.

By April, Littlefield had a supply of books and by June 18 — school business over — Reading Rescue was rolling, concentrating on areas where kids were gathered in various recreation department programs.

Over the course of the summer, Littlefield said she visited programs in Stratton, Carrabassett Valley and Kingfield six times and Philips and Strong five times.

Littlefield said she tried to align her commute with the recreation department schedules.

“The kids loved it,” she said. Children would line up at the sight of the ambulance as counselors brought them out in groups to pick out books.

The concept of being given books rather than borrowing them was lost on some of the kids, according to Littlefield, who said many held onto them the first week, expecting to return them as they would at a library.

Littlefield said the program also gave her a different perspective on the kids’ reading habits, hearing stories of children reading chapters with mothers and fathers as the kids came to pick out new books.

She was also surprised by some of the choices the children made, having no age guidelines for taking books. According to Littlefield, some children would reach slightly above their reading level, while some high-schoolers took home books by Dr. Seuss.

Asked if she has enough books to keep going, Littlefield said she still has a “small stockpile,” laughing about the space it takes in her garage. She is currently looking for a new storehouse for Reading Rescue.

“We will keep taking donations as well as solicit money for new books,” Littlefield said, recognizing that not all students’ needs are being met with current donations.

“Even my own kids didn’t read for a while,” Littlefield said. “You just need to find the right book.”

In her fourth year as a librarian, Littlefield said she didn’t begin her education career in the library but has no plans to leave a job she loves.

Littlefield will graduate with her master’s degree next spring with her daughter, who is earning her associate degree in fire sciences and her son, who will receive his bachelor’s in outdoor studies.

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