Moveable Type: Kyle Durrie brings her Type Truck to the Library

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photo: Derek Fagerstrom

In November 2010, Kyle Durrie “Kickstarted” her idea ofcombining two of her favorite things: road trips and letterpress printing. Shelaunched an online fundraising campaign, and before she knew it, she was guttingthe inside of a 1982 Chevy step van and outfitting it with a few thousandpounds of lead, wood, and iron.

Kyle Durrie printing

What she created is a functional letterpressprint shop complete with a mid-20th century Showcard sign press and an 1873Golding Official No. 3 tabletop platen press. She took it on the road and spenta year traveling across North America seeking out fellow letterpressenthusiasts.

Composing stick with type

She’s finally landed back home in Oregon and is busy withmany projects, including her letterpress printing business Power and LightPress.
But the travel bug has bit her again, and she plans to takethe truck back on the road. Kyle will visit the San Francisco Public Library onTuesday, October 23rd, and park her Type Truck on Fulton Street alongside theMain Library between 1-5pm.

Wood type

Everyone is invited to step up into the van, try your handat letterpress printing, meet Kyle and see for yourself how she made hermoveable type dream come true.
Kyle’s visit has inspired a library-mobile caravan ofsorts—during her visit, you will also have an opportunity to explore ProjectRead’s new all-electric outreach van and the Green Bookmobile.
Sponsored byMarjorie G. and Carl W. Stern Book Arts & Special Collections Center and inpartnership with the Children’s Center, the Teen Center, Project Read andBookmobiles / Mobile Outreach Services.
All programs at the library are free.

Refrigerator magnets from states Kyle visited.