Library delivers books and CDs to homebound people
04/01/2010
"You made a tremendous difference in my mother's life. She couldn't get out to do things, go places, but she read all the time because of your program," said the son of a former Hennepin County Library At Home Service customer.
Part of Hennepin County Library's Outreach Services, At Home Service delivers library books and other materials to county residents who have barriers in getting to the library - barriers such as illness, disability or visual impairment. The service is free.
Almost 900 customers are currently using the service - about 750 receive library materials by mail, and about 120 by volunteer delivery. About 80 adults currently volunteer to deliver library materials to At Home Service customers.
At Home Service customers call or email to request items or ask for reading suggestions, and a rapport quickly develops between the staff and customers. Fiction in large print and on CD is requested most often, although reading interests range from current bestsellers to classics, according to Jones.
The Outreach Services team also produces a bimonthly newsletter called The At Home Reader, a publication of book reviews, new titles of interest and library news. For At Home Service customers who are visually impaired, the At Home Reader is recorded on a CD by a volunteer and also is available as a podcast on Hennepin County Library's website, www.hclib.org. For info visit http://www.hclib.org/ pub/info/Outreach/ or call 952-847-8850.