PORTLAND, Ore. — Parked in the driveway of a Northeast Portland home sits a weathered but charming relic from the past: a 1968 International Harvester bookmobile named Gertie — and a dream connected to the bookmobile that is taking shape.

Lindsay Dekeyser didn’t know she was looking for a bookmobile. She was actually searching for a bike on Craigslist when Gertie caught her eye.

"I found her online, and it was this overwhelming feeling — like I’d found something I didn’t know I was missing," Dekeyser said.

Like so many bookmobiles of that era, Gertie is named for Gerstenslager, the Midwest U.S. company that designed and built bookmobiles onto the International Harvester chassis.

This Gertie’s journey began decades ago with the Roseburg Library System, serving communities for 20 years b

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