The Moscow Public Library is pleased to offer a homebound delivery program for patrons within the Moscow city limits. Library patrons who are unable to visit the library because of physical or mental disabilities, but still would like to borrow items from the library can now have library materials delivered right to their front door.
To be eligible for the program, patrons must:
Be confined to their home because of prolonged illness, extended convalescences, or mobility issues that make it difficult to leave the home, OR
Have a temporary or permanent physical or mental disability that prevents or makes it extremely difficult for them to come into the library, AND
Have a valid Latah County Library District library card in good standing.
How does the program work? The first step is to complete a form telling the library what types of materials the patron would like to borrow. This form can be completed with a staff member over the phone, printed from our website, or a friend or family member can pick one up at the library for the patron to complete and bring it back. Up to 10 items can be borrowed at a time. Patrons can choose from the library’s wide selection of fiction and nonfiction books, audiobooks, movies, music CDs, and magazines.
The preferred format also can be chosen, whether it be hardback, paperback, large print, regular print, DVD or Blu-ray. After completing the form that tells us what types of things a patron is interested in, library staff will select materials based upon individual borrowers’ interests and requests. We’ll do our very best to pick things that patrons will enjoy, but if we happen to select something that patrons don’t like, no problem. Those items can just be set aside to be picked up and returned to the library the next time a delivery is made. Homebound participants may also request specific titles or authors.
All items will be delivered on the first Friday morning of each month by a library staff member (easily recognized by the library van he will be driving and the red Homebound Service shirt he will be wearing). While the courier will not be entering private residences, he will be able to conveniently deliver directly to the patron at the front door to make it easier to receive the materials. Patrons must be available to accept deliveries on the scheduled day. The lending period for all items will be one month, so on the first Friday of each month, not only can items be delivered, but the previous months’ items can be returned at the same time.
What if you or someone you know lives in Moscow and is interested in participating in the program but does not have a library card? No problem. We can get you signed up for a card over the phone and will then just verify the information and give you your card after looking at your ID when the first delivery is made.
We are excited to be able to provide this program to the residents of Moscow and hope to be able to extend it to other communities in Latah County in the near future.
If you or someone you know might be able to benefit from this program, please contact the Moscow Public Library at (208) 882-3925, ext. 110, or send us an email at homebound@latahlibrary.org for more information or to sign up.
We hope to see you in the library, or at your home, sometime soon.
Egan is the access services manager for the Latah County Library District.
