Ste. Genevieve County Library is excited to announce their new Homebound Program beginning January, 2021. “We are excited to kick this program off in 2021,” stated Shawn Long, Library Director. The program is made possible by a grant from the Senior Services Fund of Ste. Genevieve County. “Originally when we wrote the grant our focus was going to be in-person technology classes. However, after the pandemic wiped away our in-person programming we started looking at other ways to utilize that grant,” stated Shawn. “We were then able focus our efforts on this program and purchased fifty courier bags, magnifying cards, and some miscellaneous items needed to get the program off the ground.”
The program is starting small with the library delivering only to patrons residing within 15 miles of the main branch. Shawn stresses that “the goal is to get our entire county covered—however, with this being a new program we want to iron out any issues and gauge interest within the community before expanding out further.”
Residents who are unable to leave their home due to age related issues, disability, or illness for extended periods of time are also able to utilize the homebound program. This program is open to any Ste. Gen resident within a 15-mile radius regardless of having a library card or not. “We can sign up patrons over the phone for a Library card and have them sign their registration on the day of their first delivery,” stated Shawn. Deliveries will be the second Wednesday of the month, with the first delivery scheduled for Wednesday, February 10th.
Patrons will be able to check out up to 10 items per month including DVD’s, audiobooks, large print, and traditional books and will receive them in a library courier bag. Each bag will be custom tailored to the patron utilizing information obtained from the registration forms that are filled out. At the end of the month, patrons will put everything back in the courier bag and staff will pick up the bag and drop off a fresh set of items.
Anyone who is interested in this program, regardless of where they live in the county, are encouraged to register one of two ways. They can sign up online at www.sgclib.org/sgcl-homebound or by contacting the library directly and having the registration mailed to them. They can then fill out the form and mail it back. “As we grow our program we will be able to add more patrons, so even if you’re outside of the 15 mile radius now, it doesn’t mean we won’t be able to add you within the next few months.” stated Shawn.
If you are interested in learning more about the homebound program, contact the library at 573-883-3358.
