For the past 50 years Hennepin County Library outreach services have provided an essential resource to elderly, disabled and housebound library patrons. At the Southdale Library in Edina, these services began with At Home by Volunteer and At Home by Mail delivery programs. Gaining traction primarily through word of mouth, outreach services eventually expanded to include a Group by Volunteer program, which serves individuals living in senior housing communities.
Patrick Jones, senior librarian for outreach services, summarizes the volunteers’ principal duties as learning what a patron likes to read, requesting or pulling materials from the library shelf, checking them out and dropping them off. However, as long-time outreach volunteer Maggi Larson of Edina observes, volunteers do much more than deliver the library experience to at-home patrons.
A lifelong reader and retired social worker, Larson soon discovered that, in many cases, it was companionship, not literature, the patrons sought. She remembers one nursing home resident who was “very lonely [and] financially not living on much.” Larson would bring the woman tubes of lipstick with each delivery of requested novels. Larson was touched at how this small gesture was “always such a big thrill” for the older woman.
For Larson, serving as an at-home library services volunteer motivated her to rediscover the classics and learn a little about topics of interest to her clients, such as opera and archaeology. It has also presented her with opportunities to connect with people whose experiences differ from her own. “Basically, you make a new friend,” Larson says. One of Larson’s library outreach clients and friends is Roberta Donaghue. Although they’ve been acquainted for just over a year, Larson says, “[Roberta] has become one of my greatest mentors.”
Hundreds of books in Donaghue’s basement library—every one of which she’s read at least once—are evidence of her extensive and enduring passion for reading. Donaghue lives one mile from the local library, but since she gave up driving, it has become difficult for her to make the trip. Still, reading remains one of her favorite pastimes. While she does miss browsing the stacks herself, she says Larson keeps her well supplied.
Donaghue prefers romance novels. “I read for fun now. I’m 92. I’ve spent enough time improving my mind,” she says. She also reads for comfort. “If you read, you always have company. You’re never by yourself.”
Mertie Stevens of Edina, another lifelong bibliophile and outreach patron, says, “Boy, it is so convenient.” But she considers the amenity much more than a mere convenience. “I really need it,” Stevens says. Because she is legally blind, books on tape and large-print books have become Stevens’ principal sources of entertainment since glaring lights and noise make television viewing disagreeable. What Stevens appreciates most about outreach services is how tremendously helpful Jones and his colleagues are. “They say, ‘call anytime.’ You really feel like you’re not imposing. They’re happy to help.”
At-home outreach patrons have access to all library materials and benefit from longer checkout periods and no fines. Patrons can also call in information requests, such as author “read-alikes,” newspaper articles or recipes from the Internet. Although it’s impossible to quantify the emotional impact of these services within our community, the many residents who use the service demonstrate its value.
