Residents across Oxfordshire have benefited from the county’s home library service during the pandemic with 8,364 library books being delivered from April to December 2020.
Oxfordshire County Council’s home library service is offered free to users in partnership with Age UK to almost 800 residents of all ages. These residents are unable to visit libraries themselves through frailty, infirmity or a disability and have no other means of getting access to loaned products. It is also available to full-time carers and those who might need the service in the short-term following illness or hospitalisation.
The service depends on a team of around 180 volunteers who supply the users with loan items on visits every three weeks. The service matches its volunteers carefully to specific residents to allow the same volunteer to visit each time. During the pandemic the number of volunteers has dropped owing to the impacts of Covid-19, so new volunteers are needed.
If you would like to volunteer to join the home library service, call 01865 810259 or email homelibraryservice@oxfordshire.gov.uk. More information on the Oxfordshire County Council website.
