The home library and information service provides free home delivery of books, audio books, music on CD, DVDs, large print books, children's books and information to people who find it difficult to get to their local library. We work with local volunteers who visit people once a fortnight.

You may be eligible to receive the free home delivery service if you are a carer, or because of ill health, disability or age, if you are unable get to the library yourself, or if you cannot carry books.

Also, if you know of someone who would benefit from the service, you may contact us on their behalf with their details. A member of staff will contact them and arrange a home visit where they can discuss the service in person.

You may also use the service on a temporary basis. For example, some customers only use the service in winter, or when recovering from an illness or operation.

All of our visiting staff and volunteer delivery persons have been checked by the Criminal Records Bureau.

What is available through the home library service?

The following items may be borrowed through the home library and information service:

• books;
• audio books;
• up to two music CDs at a time;
• up to two videos or two DVDs at a time;
• large print books;
• children's books;
• other information normally supplied by a library

Signing up for the home library service and how it works

Once you have expressed an interest in receiving the service, a member of staff will call you to arrange to visit you at home. They will discuss authors and genres you like (or dislike) and whether you prefer ordinary print, large print or audio books on tape or CD. They will use this information to draw up a detailed list called a reader profile and then sign you up for the service.

From then on, every fortnight they will use this list to select titles for you to receive. Our computer system tells us if you have had a book from us before, so you won't be sent the same book twice. In addition, it can be difficult to regularly provide audio books in high numbers, especially for special interest books. In all cases, we will do our best to match your interests.

You can also make free requests for specific titles or authors, through your volunteer. It helps if you let your volunteers know what you think of the selections you get. They will pass that information back to the library who can improve your reader profile.

To sign up for the scheme, contact the home library and information service. Full contact details can be found below. You can also call into your local library. Alternatively, download the leaflet below, fill in the attached reply section and send it back to us (no stamp required).

Receiving the books

When you register for the service, we will arrange with you a regular delivery day every fortnight. We will also tell you whether it will be in the morning or the afternoon. Once deliveries start, you will have a better idea of the usual time. Some schemes operate a set delivery day but others can be more flexible.

If you will not be in when your delivery is due, please contact the library which supplies your books and let them know. They will tell you when your next scheduled delivery will be.

If you have not finished your book when the volunteers come, you do not need to renew the loan as you may keep the books as long as you need to. There are no fines for customers using the home library and information service.

Volunteering to help deliver the home library service

We are always pleased to hear from people who are interested in volunteering to help deliver the home library and information service. We are looking for caring people who can offer a regular commitment of, at most, two hours a fortnight.

For more information, see the How do I become a volunteer for the home library and information service? page.

The mobile library service

If you find it difficult to get to your local library, you might also benefit from using the mobile library service. We currently run a fleet of 12 mobile libraries and one Supermobile, which calls at over 800 hamlets, villages and towns in North Yorkshire, usually with a number of different stops at each place. To find your nearest mobile library stop, see the mobile library search page.

For more information, including details of how to join, see the Libraries - mobile library service page. If you receive the home library service, you may make use of the mobile library service as well.

Apply to join your library online Join online today and gain access to books, film, music, games and internet access.

Useful downloads Home library and information service (March 2008) [665kb] Bringing the library service to you by providing free home delivery of books, audio books, music on CD, DVDs, large print books, children's books and information.   Library special needs - frequently asked questions How do I become a volunteer for the home library and information service? Contacts Home library and information service libraries@northyorks.gov.uk Tel: 01609 533800 Full details for Home library and information service All library and information centres libraries@northyorks.gov.uk Tel: 01609 533800 Fax: 01609 780793 Full details for All library and information centres