Food delivery has been around for decades. But today, there is a new type of delivery: books.
Books and other materials are delivered free throughout the county by at least two organizations, the Monroe County Library System and the Child Care Network.
Monroe County Library System
Since 2005, the municipal library has offered delivery to homes and centers for the elderly.
Home delivery is available to everyone.
“Anyone is welcome to call and request service. Priority is given to seniors and people with physical disabilities,” said Barbra Krueger, community outreach coordinator for the library system. has had 10 home deliveries, and (today alone) there are 31. It has grown over the years as more and more people become aware of this service.”
Many items can be requested.
“Anything circulating in a physical branch of the library can also be delivered,” Krueger said.
This includes books, movies, music, magazines, videos with description for the visually impaired, talking books, how-to videos and music CDs.
Books and movies are the most popular.
“Large print novels, movies, Amish fiction and biographies are also very popular,” Krueger said.
Although available to everyone, most of the library system’s delivery service is used by seniors, through the Library in Motion program.
Library staff deliver materials directly to seniors at seniors’ centers and to their homes.
“Each senior customer receives an organized bag of books. Senior Outreach staff (Tammy Suzor and Kim Drake) personally and carefully consider the customer’s reading preferences when assembling the book bags,” Krueger said.
The service is well used.
In 2005, the first year of delivery, 977 items were distributed to seniors. This increased significantly in 2019, when 27,689 articles circulated.
When the library and senior centers closed during the pandemic, there was an increase in home delivery requests.
Despite months of closure, 13,722 articles were delivered in 2020. In 2021, 23,018 were delivered.
“During the pandemic, Tammy Suzor and Kim Drake personally called over 400 customers to provide wellness checks. If a customer was unavailable by phone, they sent a brief ‘thinking of you’ note,” Krueger said.
“The most rewarding part of my job is providing an essential service to our senior community that they look forward to every month,” Suzor said. “We are really appreciated by our customers.”
To learn more about delivery and Library in Motion, visit https://mymcls.com/library-in-motion/ or call (734) 241-5770.
childcare network
Resources Direct, offered by the Child Care Network, ships items directly to licensed child care providers in Monroe County.
For years, the Child Care Network has provided a lending library. But, when the pandemic started, she had to reevaluate her services.
Last May, she opened a mobile lending library.
“Due to the pandemic, our resource centers are closed to the public, but the continued need for these resources has never ceased,” said Tina Blanchard, quality improvement specialist for the Child Care Network. “Our local providers need these reference resources, and we have so much practical material for children to explore, that a mobile service has been developed.”
Monroe County has 109 licensed child care programs that operate in homes and centers, Blanchard said.
“We currently have 20 Monroe County licensed child care providers participating on a rolling monthly basis, receiving new shipments of equipment each month and having their applications picked up from the previous month at the same time. It’s easy, convenient and safe,” Blanchard said.
Hundreds of items are available, including children’s books, educational resources, assessment or screening materials, CDs, DVDs, and how-to materials.
Providers may choose specific titles or request general materials for certain ages, subjects, or program areas.
Resources Direct also offers inter-centre loans.
“If Monroe doesn’t have it, any of our other six counties where Child Care Network supports providers can,” Blanchard said.
Before the pandemic, families could also visit the Child Care Network and borrow equipment.
“Because our resource centers are currently closed to the public, this opportunity is not available until further notice,” Blanchard said.
For more information about the Child Care Network, contact Executive Director Annette Sobocinski at [email protected] or visit www.childcarenetwork.org.
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