The Puget Sound area is known nationwide as a center of reading and books.

So when Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels announced the end of the Seattle Library's Bookmobile, he raised a storm of literary protest.

KIRO 7 Eyewitness News Consumer Reporter Bebe Emerman examines the coming loss of a service prized by thousands of local book lovers.

The new Seattle Central Library and branch libraries are terrific resources, but what about those who are too frail or ill to get to them?

Up until now, they've been able to depend on the library's mobile Bookmobile -- but not anymore.

It takes the help of caregiver Linda Smith, but 92-year-old Nana Hedreen wouldn't miss the monthly visit of the Seattle Public Library's Bookmobile near her home.

"You can see by the amount of books we have, we use it quite a bit," Smith said.

YOUR SAY ON THE BOOKMOBILE Contact Seattle City Officials Contact Library Officials

But the wheels are about to come off the Bookmobile, which now brings thousands of books, videos and music to more than 200 care facilities and hundreds of homes.

As part of a million dollar library budget cut, the Bookmobile's days are numbered.

"It's one of the saddest services I think I've heard about being cut by this city," Smith said. "It's just terrible."

Gertrude Finney, 94, was a librarian for 23 years, and now distributes the Bookmobile's books to bed-bound residents of the Bessie Burton home on Capitol Hill.

"They can lose themselves, forget their problems, feel better because they're not just have their minds set on their hurt. They can lose themselves in a book," Finney said.

The new Seattle Central Library is so big, you could get lost in it.

Many look at the gleaming new, $165 million facility and wonder why the city can't find $800,000 for the Bookmobile.

Seattle City Councilman Tom Rasmussen says the money to build the new Central Library and branch libraries came from bonds approved by voters and can't be used for operational costs like the Bookmobile.

Still, he says he'll fight to keep it running -- a fight many hope he'll win.

"We really ask the mayor to re-consider and the head librarian to keep the service going," said Linda Smith. "It's a vital service."

Mayor Nickels is taking a lot of heat over permanently parking the Bookmobile, but head librarian Deborah Jacobs says it was her decision and calls it the toughest decision she's had to make in her 30-year career.

Councilman Rasmussen tells us no other budget item is drawing as much public outrage as the loss of the Bookmobile.