By:Beth Wallach
The Library To Your Door program, which brings books to the homebound in Rockville Centre, is the embodiment of that motto. The way it works is simple. Every two weeks up to three books, regular or large print, are delivered in a large weatherproof zippered bag, via mail to the door of a patron who has been pre-qualified by a certified health professional. A reading preference questionnaire, designed by the library-s staff, is included in the application, allowing people to choose from a wide variety of subjects in hardcover or paperback. The service is free, including the postage. The U.S. Postal Service has a free matter service for blind and visually impaired people who can-t read regular printed materials. For those who do not qualify for free postage from the post office, the library picks up the postage fee.
We had a small, informal homebound program before, but we wanted to expand it, said Merrill Belson, who along with fellow librarian, Alene Paone, runs the program, which began in July and currently has 13 patrons enrolled. Part of the problem in getting the program off the ground was identifying the population who would take advantage of the service. This was no easy task, according to Belson, since the population that would benefit from the program did not come into the library.
Prior to its becoming operational, Belson and Paone, with the encouragement of Gretchen Browne, the library-s director, spent two months doing lots of legwork, which included sending flyers to and calling every church, synagogue, health care agency and senior organization in the village. The mayor-s office was helpful in giving the amount of people who might benefit from the service, but to protect people-s privacy, they could not divulge any names.
Enter Lydia Galeon of Better Home Health Care in Rockville Centre. The flyer was sitting on my desk, said Galeon, the company-s chief operating officer, and I thought this was a wonderful, wonderful idea. After Galeon and Belson sat down together to brainstorm, they decided to partner. The partnership between the library and the agency, however, is not exclusive, and the library would welcome other health care agencies to come on board.
Galeon and her staff of trained professionals were helpful in defining the term homebound for the librarians, and in assessing who would qualify. Rockville Centre is an exemplary town, said Galeon, who believes this service provides a valuable tool to connect the homebound to the community.
So far, 11 of BHHC-s clients have signed up for the program. The agency-s nurses, all of whom are approved by New York state to enter people-s homes, assist in the entire application process, down to applying for library cards if needed. Free of charge, the agency-s nurses will also go to the homes of people the library identifies as homebound, even if they are not their clients.Every business, large or small, should give back to the community, said Galeon, who believes that every town in Nassau County can do this. To that end, Belson and Galeon have agreed to help other libraries institute a similar program. Of BHHC-s co-owners Pat Huber and Hazle Woodley, Galeon said, They define corporate responsibility.
With the onset of winter fast approaching, the library and BHHC expect to see an increase in the amount of clients taking advantage of the service. While many of Rockville Centre-s homebound are elderly or suffer from chronic illnesses, there is a segment of the homebound population who may take advantage of the service temporarily due to fractures or other injuries.
The homebound elderly, according to Galeon, watch a lot of TV, including programs such as the Today Show and Oprah where books, especially bestsellers, are often discussed. With this program, the homebound can be as up on the latest books and authors as the rest of the population.
[Our patrons] have very varied interests, so it-s been a learning experience for me, said Belson of the selections. Some customers are very particular about what they want to read, often providing the librarians with their own reading lists. For the most part, books that can stay out for 28 days are the most popular, but 14 day books are also loaned. Given time for transit, seven day books are not as practical. To make them available, the library usually extends them to 14 day loans. Books sent out are also renewable by telephone if the client wants to keep them longer. For those books that are hard to come by due to their popularity, the library will add the client-s name to the reserve list, but no preferential treatment is accorded, and like everyone else, they have to wait their turn.
Some of the patrons are bilingual, often preferring books in Spanish. Since Hempstead Public Library is the hub of foreign language books in Nassau County, Paone often finds herself requesting interloans for her Spanish speaking patrons.
So far, Belson and Paone are pleased with their increasing numbers, and hope to reach their goal of 20 patrons in the program-s inaugural year. In a hand written note recently sent to the librarians, one patron, who did not wish to be identified, wrote, I am becoming the envy of friends living in other library districts who-ve never heard of such a program.
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