The Lakewood Public Library is offering help to residents who are unable to leave their homes or lack the means to do so, delivering books right to their door every Tuesday. Through this helpful and thoughtful delivery service, the library ensures that everyone in the community—regardless of mobility limitations—can reach out and stay connected to the learning community.
From the newest books, audiobooks, magazines, and CDs, library staff and volunteers can bring a wide selection to Lakewood’s homebound citizens. By keeping the senior community engaged, the library helps these residents feel included, especially those who may experience isolation.
The program serves seniors and individuals with disabilities who are homebound or otherwise unable to visit the library in person. The service allows them to enjoy their local public library from the comfort of their homes. With the help of the local library, they can read the newest books and stay connected with the outside community. PJ McNerney, a librarian at the Lakewood Public Library, said, “It’s for people who don’t drive anymore or are in wheelchairs or our elderly who are sick.”
The library also helps students who have had recent surgeries or are homebound. Gabrielle Murray, another librarian at the Lakewood Public Library, said, “Sometimes it’s just people who can’t come to the library because they had some kind of surgery.”
The homebound delivery service has been operating for over a decade, with librarians and volunteers helping deliver materials. The library delivers to multiple retirement centers and assisted-living facilities. McNerney said, “In the morning, we go to the senior centers and Martin Center, The Westerly Apartments, Haven at Lakewood.”
Library volunteers spend a considerable amount of time delivering books to these communities. Bringing a warm and welcoming face each day helps the homebound community feel connected. Leslie Smith, a personal care assistant at the Haven at Lakewood Senior Living, said, “The programs have been really awesome since I’ve been here. They have probably been coming at least since 2018, probably before that.”
The Haven at Lakewood has been receiving books from the public library and finds that every senior enjoys and benefits from the outreach program. The biggest challenge the librarians face, McNerney said, is “Sometimes we have bad weather.” Since librarians visit the retirement homes, they encounter unpredictable weather conditions.
Anyone who is homebound can sign up for the homebound delivery program online or by calling the Lakewood Public Library, and they will be added to the list. Murray said, “They can call us on the phone, we’ve gotten emails, they have a form online, not specifically for homebound, but sometimes people will send it that way.” Patrons can register to receive books delivered every Tuesday across the Lakewood area.
The service is managed by McNerney, who coordinates the collection of books on hold every Monday. Murray said, “But PJ is kind of like the godsend with that. She is very good about going all over the place.” Having a librarian who takes the initiative to ensure that homebound community members still feel welcome has strengthened the sense of community. To receive the books, librarians hand-deliver them to residents’ doors every Tuesday. Smith said, “They come to us once a week on Tuesdays, usually between 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., and they hand deliver to residents’ doors.”
Not only does it have a positive impact on the senior community, but it also affects the librarians who run it. Murray said, “It impacts me, even personally too, because I’ll get people that I’ve been talking to for the four years I’ve been working here, and I go in and knock on the door and I’m like, oh my gosh, I’m meeting you for the first time.”
Moments like this show how the homebound delivery program fosters real human connection, creating meaningful moments for residents and librarians. The Lakewood Public Library also runs the book club at the Haven at Lakewood. Smith said, “They get massive amounts [of people], get them together, and they go over book club and have questions, and a librarian comes and runs it.”
Just having a weekly book club that brings the community together and allows everyone to relate to the same topic creates a sense of connection and shared experience, letting participants engage, discuss, and bond over their love of reading and learning. “It makes it feel bigger than the library,” Murray said.
