Question

bringing books to people
when mary lemist titcomb became the first librarian of marylands washington county free library in 1901, she was determined to ensure convenient, widespread access to library materials. to this end, she established dozens of small branch libraries at churches, post offices, and stores. while the plan was successful, titcomb felt that some residents of isolated rural areas still found it hard to justify a trip to one of those still - distant locations, much less to the main library itself. some people werent even aware that the branches existed. titcomb decided to address this situation by delivering books directly to peoples homes. to achieve this goal, she designed the first horse - drawn book wagon. the wagon, with space for a variety of books, made its first trip in 1904. the project was so successful that it inspired other libraries to start their own mobile library programs.
what is the main, or central, idea of the passage?
in her quest to expand library access, mary titcomb designed the first mobile library.
mary titcomb established a network of branch libraries to ensure access to library materials for people living in isolated areas.
mary titcomb noticed that because of their isolation, people in rural areas had limited awareness of the library.

Explanation:

The passage details Mary Titcomb's efforts to expand library access. She first set up branch - libraries but then, seeing the need of rural residents, designed the first horse - drawn book wagon (mobile library). The overall focus is on her creation of the mobile library in her quest to improve library access.

Answer:

In her quest to expand library access, Mary Titcomb designed the first mobile library.