Gwinnett County Public Library offers services to homebound customers by loaning print materials through the mail. As the library’s service area is rapidly growing, the ability of the library to meet this demand is increasingly limited by postage costs and staff time. The growing senior demographic will see an increase in users who tend to need this service long term. Other users include various age groups and temporarily homebound customers. Population growth means an overall rise in demand for this service.

By inviting in volunteers to help transport materials to customers, the library has been able to expand its service to homebound users. This volunteer role is another way that community-minded individuals can participate in library service more deeply. Personalized deliveries help build relationships with individuals who can most benefit from outreach, but face the highest barriers. Also, this volunteer role is flexible, allowing for a range of responsibility and time commitments, which can attract a variety of helpers.

Two major benefits are an increased capacity to serve homebound customers and a deeper relationship between those customers and the library. As Gwinnett County attempts to meet the needs of an increasing population, and an even faster-growing senior population, the library will be working to engage the community to help increase access to services. For example, next steps include expanding the number of volunteers to increase availability and partnering with local delivery services such as Meals-on-Wheels.