Olivia Herrera can count on one hand the number of times she's stepped inside a branch library. Two times. Maybe three. An unreliable car means a tough time getting pretty much anywhere.

On Friday, she was thrilled to learn that transportation is no longer an issue when getting books. The library has come to her.

Morton Elementary, where Herrera has a third grader and is only a few blocks from her home, has become the latest Arlington ISD school to partner with the Arlington Public Library and become a LibraryLiNK. This means students and parents can drop by the school and check out books just as they would at one of the City's branches.

The southeast Arlington school joins Atherton, Farrell, Hale, Roark, Short, Webb and Mansfield ISD school Harmon Elementary as sites providing a circulating collection of materials that can be checked out with a library card.

Books not a part of Morton's initial 700 titles (more are coming) can be ordered from the library's general collection. A courier will drop off and pick up materials weekly. Another perk: any book taken from a branch library can be dropped off at the LibraryLiNK school.

What makes these libraries different from regular school facilities is that parents can drop by during the day and outside regular school hours to check out books. Morton will be open Mondays until 6:30 p.m.

"We're just so happy to be able to extend this program to yet another school," said Arlington Public Library Director Cary Siegfried, who was joined by Deputy City Manager Gilbert Perales for the ribbon-cutting event. "Obviously the success we've had prompts us to go into areas where a LibraryLiNK school is needed."

Since more than 60 percent of Morton students come from Spanish-speaking families, a majority of the books are bilingual.

"It's a challenge if you're a parent and you don't speak English and you want to read to or with your child," Siegfried said. "That's something we worked out with Principal (Stephen) Paulsen and his staff to get a handle on what the collection needed to look like."

While the other LibraryLiNK schools offer 80 percent adult material, Morton is 80 percent kid-friendly.

"We always sit down with the principal and librarian to get a sense of the need," said Arlington Community Librarian Robert Kapsos. "They felt strongly that more of the books should be kids books."

The schools designate particular sections of the library as its LibraryLiNK space, if only to differentiate from the rest of the library.

Hale painted its section purple along with a bench and other furniture. At Farrell, the shelves and seats are clustered together in the front of the library. Morton's corner is decked out in blue.

"This partnership with the City is just so crucial," said Morton Librarian Carol Howard. "Transportation is no longer such a sticking point when it comes to getting to the library."