Library outreach services offered to residents
WAYNESBURG – Greene County Library System is bringing the book stacks directly to senior citizens who can’t physically make it to the library to check out popular titles or attend programs.
Jill Peth, the library system’s outreach coordinator, is visiting area retirement homes and homebound residents each month to bring them new books and try to lessen the feeling of isolation seniors or others might experience.
It’s the third year since the Greene County Library System began its outreach program and it continues to grow, Peth said.
“It really means a lot. They’ll tell me how much they appreciate the books every month,” Peth said. “It really helps, too, every time I’m delivering and picking up, I ask them what they like and what they didn’t so I can tweak it to what they want to read. The response has been great.”
Mysteries and biographies are the favorites, Peth said.
That was the case with Mary Sumner, a resident at GoldenLiving Center in Franklin Township, who is a lifelong reader and recently spent time polishing off a biography about German chancellor Angela Merkel.
“I’ve read all my life. I’ve read as much as I possibly could,” Sumner said. “This was such an interesting book about how her mind works.”
The program is available to any Greene County residents who cannot physically come to the library. Peth said she typically visits Rolling Meadows, GoldenLiving and Evergreen, along with a couple of personal care homes and senior apartment complexes. She said the regular visits to nursing home helped her build a rapport with the residents, although the program is also available to seniors living in their homes and she’s working to make the public aware of the library’s outreach services.
“I’ve had people tell them how much it means to them. People like to chit-chat and have a little visit, as well,” Peth said. “We don’t want to forget (them) just because they can’t physically come to the library, we still want to get the books to them.”
She also makes routine visits to many of the senior centers in the county, where she organizes programs that include crafting and similar activities. Peth recalled a recent visit to the Waynesburg Senior Center where a woman’s face “just lit up” while making homemade greeting cards.
“People tell me my visits mean something to them, that makes me feel good,” Peth said.
It’s a change in mentality for many librarians across the region who are trying to expand beyond the walls of their buildings.
“I think it’s becoming more important to have that mobility and flexibility to see people rather than them always coming into the library, especially those who are elderly or physically handicapped,” she added. “For certain populations, it makes a lot of sense.”
The service includes free delivery of a wide variety of large print and audio books through Greene County’s partnership with libraries in Washington and Fayette counties through the Waggin Network.
Anyone interested in the outreach program can call Peth at 724-833-4633 or visit www.greenecolib.org for more information.