Lori Castle-Gibson said the library's home service has made her life.
The Prince George Library provides an outreach program where people who can't get to the library have the library come to them.
"You see, I'm shut in and I only go out if it's to the doctor's or church because I'm disabled," Castle-Gibson said. "I'm not really a television person. I watch it at night time after I go to bed but I am able to read and this just opens up a whole world for me because I cannot get to the library."
There are many reasons people can't get to the library, including transportation issues, mobility issues, anxiety conditions, or even if someone is a 24-hour caregiver and just can't get away.
Home library service recipients fill out an application that covers the basics, including permission that allows the library to keep a history on the books the reader's already read, to limit the number of duplications, community outreach librarian Gina Rawson said. Then the reader describes the style of book they enjoy, including favourite authors or genres like action, mysteries, fiction, non-fiction, she added.
"We ask if people can read regular print or need large print, need books on CD or books on Daisy Disks that have a format that requires a specific reader," said Rawson. "Does the reader want music CDs or DVDs? So once they've indicated the format preference I also need to know how many items they need. We offer the service every two weeks and some people might only want one item and others need a dozen or more. For some people who are in care facilities or whose mobility is restricted reading or listening to books on tape is their primary source of recreation."
There are 76 readers who use the program and the group is split in half so they all get their new material every other Thursday.
"I'll tell you, Gina Rawson is the most wonderful outreach librarian and she particularly makes sure that she's getting the books that you want," said Castle-Gibson. "Our library system here in Prince George is to be commended. Gina just makes it her job to know -- and she keeps track of what you've read -- and that's a big job because I read so many books."
There's a wonderful team of volunteers who works in paris to pick up and deliver the library material every Thursday, said Rawson.
"And the people that donate their service to deliver the books, they share their time," said Castle-Gibson. "I see very few people other than my family and these volunteers share their life with me. I had a wonderful talk with one of the volunteers the other day and we must have talked for 45 minutes when she delivered the books. The outreach service just makes me have a life during the day."
Castle-Gibson likes to read inspirational books about how God has affected people's lives and she's read all of the books by Nicholas Sparks, John Grisham and Danielle Steel.
"I like to learn when I read," Castle-Gibson explained, mentioning the extensive research Steel does for her historical novels. "And that's what I like when I'm reading, I like any author that gives me a good, clean, learning experience."
Castle-Gibson is not fond of any profanity or inappropriate subject matter in her reading material. Another favourite is Janette Oke, a Canadian writer of inspirational fiction whose style Lori compares to Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author of the Little House series.
The library volunteers deliver to private residences and care facilities and the program just expanded into the Hart area.
Anyone interested in the program can call Rawson, the community outreach librarian, at 250-563-9251 ext. 123.
