HANCOCK COUNTY — When Linda Kraft heard that the Hancock County Public Library was offering home delivery services, she jumped at the chance to get on the list.
With a bad back and mobility issues, she wasn’t able to make it into the library for her regular fix of crime novels and non-fiction books.
“I called right off the bat,” said Kraft, 64, who lives in Greenfield.
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Her books were delivered right to her door, and she’s been happily turning pages ever since.
Homebound delivery is a new service being offered by the library, where outreach manager Mike Schull used the downtime when the library and its bookmobile were closed due to the pandemic to research ways other libraries had offered similar services.
Social distancing restrictions had prevented him from taking the bookmobile out into the community as he normally does, which freed up time to explore the new service — something that’s been on his to-do list for a while.
“We’d been considering doing this for a few years, but hadn’t had the time yet. We figured there was no time like the present since our other services had been curbed for the time being,” he said.
While some people may take a quick trip to the library for granted, there are many patrons who can’t physically make it into the library, or who want to avoid crowds due to COVID-19, Schull said.
He cited a 2018 Indiana University study that showed that 15 percent of Hancock County’s population is 65 or older, and a 2015 U.S. census statistic showing that 13.7 percent of local residents live with a disability.
“We’re trying to figure out a way to still serve members of those communities that are interested in our service that aren’t otherwise able to get into a library easily, or that feel like it is a health risk for them to come back to the library,” Schull said.
For now, the bookmobile is delivering books to different zones in the county on different days of the week, just as the library did when the bookmobile ran its normal routes.
Before the pandemic temporarily closed the library, the bookmobile was a regular fixture throughout the county — stopping by schools, preschools, day cares, senior communities and a few neighborhoods.
Since the bookmobile’s use has been curtailed because it’s too small to allow for social distancing, it was the perfect vehicle to utilize for homebound delivery services, Schull said. His main focus area is not just the disabled but the senior community, for whom social distancing is the most critical in the age of COVID-19.
“Since a lot of our older adults are the ones who are most at risk, we’ve been trying to pivot to a model of contactless, touchless services,” he said.
Schull is happy to be able to provide the service for homebound seniors, knowing firsthand how dangerous the threat of seniors contracting COVID-19 can be.
“At least one of the long-term care facilities that we’ve visited every three weeks with the bookmobile has had an outbreak, and patrons who checked out books and movies from us have actually passed away because of the virus. So for me it felt really integral to adapt my services, because doing things the old way wasn’t necessary,” he said.
Patrons can request homebound services in one of two ways: place holds through the library’s website and select the bookmobile as the pickup site, or call Schull directly at the library. He’s happy to reserve specific titles for homebound patrons, or suggest books and movies based on their areas of interest.
Schull said the service is intended only for homebound people who can’t otherwise access library services, not for the general public.
“It’s not intended as a way to circumvent the system,” he said.
Depending on the level of demand, deliveries will be grouped by regions throughout the county and may be limited to one delivery per household every two weeks.
Schull hopes to see the homebound service take off and become a regular service for patrons throughout the county.
“I’m happy to still be able to serve the public that we served prior to the pandemic, just in a different way. I’m excited to see how it goes,” he said.
He’s not yet sure what that continuation of service will look like, but he said it could evolve into a blending of homebound services with regularly scheduled bookmobile stops.
“We’ll just cross that bridge as we come to it. For now we’re looking at it as a temporary service with permanent implications,” he said.
Safety is the utmost concern when delivering materials, said Schull.
“I let them know that I will be wearing a mask, using hand sanitizer, and dropping off their materials in a brand new plastic library bag with the receipt stapled to it. I’ll leave it outside their door, and if they have returns to make they can leave it outside,” he said.
If a patron lives in a facility that guests aren’t allowed to enter, Schull will arrange to meet them outside while keeping a safe distance.
“It’s essentially like any other type of contactless delivery service. I’m like a pizza guy for books,” he joked.
For Kraft, the service is a dream come true. “I’m on a walker and can’t lift it into the car, and if I used a cane I can’t go very far, so I couldn’t make it into the library,” said Kraft, who describes herself as an avid reader.
She heard about the homebound services in a note that was attached to her Meals on Wheels delivery.
“I was so happy to hear this was available, I called as soon as I got the letter. I hope it’s around for a long time,” she said.
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To request homebound delivery through the Hancock County Public Library, patrons can reserve items at the library’s website — hcplibrary.org — and request the bookmobile as the pickup method. Patrons can also contact the library’s outreach director, Mike Schull, at 317-462-5141, extension 229; or email him at [email protected].
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