Elm Grove Library delivers the joy of reading to homebound

ELM GROVE - One of the few pleasures Mary Keating of Elm Grove has is reading, but being homebound has limited her access to the outside world. 

Keating lived a life of service to the Elm Grove community as an election poll worker for 25 years, a Girl Scout leader for 15 years and an employee at Elmbrook Memorial Hospital for 21 years. However, these days Keating is unable to walk and reliable transportation is not available for her. 

But thanks to the Elm Grove Public Library, the library community is now serving Keating through a delivery system. She is able to immerse herself in favorite novels by Nicholas Sparks.  

"I don't like television all the time," Keating said. "It is nice to have a book to read when there is nothing on TV. I think this is a wonderful service. I couldn't read otherwise."

When Keating is done reading her book selections, she calls up the library to request another one. Members of the Friends of Elm Grove Library make deliveries and pickups for the library's homebound patrons.

Lending a hand

Sarah Muench, Elm Grove's library director, said that over the past 13 years she has worked there, she has fielded questions from patrons about home delivery, and many came from people in similar circumstances as Keating: a patron who was no longer driving, and didn't have the freedom to come to the library whenever he or she wanted.  

"Over the years, I traveled to residents' homes in Elm Grove on an as-needed basis, and they were always very appreciative that the library was willing and able to do this for them," Muench said. 

But it is not just the elderly who are helped. Sometimes, someone having major surgery has the same circumstance.

Once, a disabled patron called the library before leaving home. She pulled into the parking lot, a staff member went out to the car, got her library card from her, brought it back in to check her books out, and took them back to her car. Muench said the patron was appreciative and the library was happy to do it. As long as it wasn't too busy in the library, staff kept this going one morning per week as long as she needed it. 

What Elm Grove wants 

The Elm Grove Library Board distributed a survey while developing the library's new long-range plan in 2015-16. They received almost 500 responses. 

According to Muench, survey respondents listed homebound residents as being an underserved population in Elm Grove.

"A combination of all of these experiences and feedback went into the decision to establish a homebound delivery service," Muench said. 

While the current list of homebound delivery participants is small, Muench hopes to increase the number of people utilizing this service.

The service is available to Elm Grove residents and registered cardholders who are physically unable to come to the library due to disability or long-term illness. 

The service is free and offers homebound patrons the opportunity to continue to enjoy library materials. Interested patrons should contact Muench at 262-782-6717.

"The public library is here for its community," she said.