As announced in previous posts, the Oxfordshire Mobile Library Service ceases today. An alternative for those users who cannot get to the libraries in Wallingford or Didcot is the Home Library Service which will bring books to them.
The County Council is launching a new county-wide campaign to recruit more volunteers to the Home Library Service. The Service is run and managed by Oxfordshire Libraries and is made possible through the work of volunteers. Home Library Service volunteers choose and deliver books to those who are unable to get to a library. Volunteers are a friendly face who can stop by at least once every three weeks to bring books or CDs to customers and stop for a chat. The volunteers develop an understanding of the customer’s reading tastes and also share an enthusiasm for books and reading. It’s a lifeline for people who live alone and can help support independent living, reduce isolation and ill health. Schedules can work around a volunteer’s availability, expenses are reimbursed and volunteers can do as many or as few journeys as they wish.
More information about the scheme, including details of what volunteering involves and interviews with those who benefit from the service, can be found at www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/homelibrary
