All three of New York City’s public library systems mail books, audiobooks, and films to readers who cannot leave home, and all three pay the postage both ways. The New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Public Library have run these programs for decades, but most families caring for an older adult have never heard of them.
Signing up means filling out an application, and the New York Public Library keeps the forms on one page. The Books by Mail application is there in English and Spanish, and a doctor, nurse, or social worker has to sign it to confirm that the older adult cannot leave home. The same page has a Homebound Library Card application for anyone who never had a card.
One question on that form matters more than the rest. The library can choose the books, or it can wait for requests. A caregiver who asks the library to choose will get a package about once a month, picked from the subjects listed on the form. Otherwise, nothing arrives until the caregiver asks for a specific title.
The form also covers format and language. A caregiver can request large print, audiobooks, DVDs, music CDs, and books in languages other than English, and all three library systems carry those formats.
Brooklyn and Queens do not post their forms online. Families in those boroughs should call the numbers above to start, and Brooklyn asks for written confirmation of medical status along with its application.
In Brooklyn, an older adult who lives in a nursing home or attends an older adult center or adult day program does not need to apply at all. Brooklyn Public Library delivers to those buildings through a program called Books-to-Go, and the staff on site arrange it. Families in other boroughs should ask the facility whether their library system does the same.
The libraries do not reach out to families to offer this service. It begins when a caregiver sends in the application, and everything after that is handled by the library.
Sources: The New York Public Library, Books by Mail and Talking Book and Braille Service; Brooklyn Public Library, Services for Older Adults; Queens Public Library, Programs for Older Adults.