It’s Tuesday at the Medford library, and for Mackenzie Pollock, that means delivery day.
With green bags of DVDS, CDs, books and audiobooks (and accompanying CD players) lining the back seat of her car, Mackenzie, who works for Jackson County Library Services’ At-Home Services department, drives from the branch on a Spring-heralding March afternoon. The materials she will shuttle around town are for patrons who utilize JCLS’s in-person delivery service, those who can’t make it into library buildings due to age, illness, or disability.
Mackenzie, and her colleague Kateri Warnick bring the library with them instead. They make materials deliveries weekly, a mix of specific requests and other titles selected based on patron preferences.
The largest demographic of the 117 people the department currently serves – as of this writing – is senior citizens. But other individuals, such as those on short-term disability, are also among those served.
“We connect people to the library who can’t get here for a variety of reasons,” Mackenzie says.
Of the 117, 47 receive the materials in person, while 70 others receive theirs through the mail.
“I love libraries because I believe in accessibility,” says Kateri, who previously worked at a few smaller JCLS branches and now splits her work between At-Home Services and Outreach to Child Care. “I think the accessibility is important. You think libraries are available and accessible to everyone, but then you consider, ‘Oh, what about people who can’t come to the library?’”
“It’s the human connection and human contact,” she adds.
The idea of delivering materials to JCLS patrons is nothing new. Originally launched as a books-by-mail program in 1921, the service received the moniker “Outreach to Homebound” in 1952, then shifted to “At-Home Services” in 2020, the year the COVID-19 pandemic began. That was the same year Kateri started. Mackenzie, who used to drive JCLS’s Direct Access to Resources and Technology (DART) van, joined in 2022.
Deliveries are available for any qualifying patrons who live in Jackson County. Employees and volunteers have driven as far out as Shady Cove, Trail and the Colestin area to bring materials to patrons, Kateri says.
Mackenzie’s first stop on the almost-Spring Tuesday trek is much closer: the Weatherly Inn, a facility with assisted and independent living wings in east Medford. In the independent living facility lobby, the sounds of a Bingo game in process harmonizes with the Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine,” playing gently over the facility speakers.
“Library day,” Mackenzie says to one of the staff as she signs in, bags in tow.
“Library day? Awesome,” the staff member says.
Deliveries go quickly. Each bag has the list of requested materials and sometimes contain additional fun surprises such as craft kits. Mackenzie picks up bags of returns patrons are done with, too.
“Did you enjoy the books?” she asks one patron.
“Yes, they were perfect this time,” the patrons responds. “All three of them are really good.”
“Good. I hope the new ones are just as good.”
Several additional interactions, both here and at Avamere (Mackenzie’s next and final stop) are framed by similar positive rapport. New books and a friendly face to drop them off is a winning formula, it seems.
“A lot of our patrons who we’re selecting things for, I think that is a really unique way of knowing someone,” Kateri says. “We may not know their day-to-day, but we know what kind of books they like and how voracious of a reader they are – if they’re getting 20 books a month or something.”
While they sign up, patrons can tell At-Home Services staff a variety of information to tailor what kinds of materials and aids they want. This includes their favorites among book and film genres, authors, directors, and actors. They can also list types of books and films to avoid, technology needs such as CD players, and additional formatting preferences such as large print books. Mackenzie and Kateri also make suggestions based on books that they personally liked in their newsletter, which some patrons will heed. Sometimes, recommendations come from patrons.
“We have a patron who really likes paranormal romance,” Mackenzie says, smiling. “It is really fun. I wasn’t into it before. It’s just really fun reading them, the ones that she talks about. She writes these really long notes about each of them, and she’s really good at making them sound good.”
She adds that another patron is a big fan of mystery books…set in Ireland. At-Home Services tries to be about three weeks ahead when it comes to making patron selections. It’s ample time to get all the holds in they need.
Some patrons have died during Mackenzie and Kateri’s tenure, a difficult part of the job. One such patron had been going through J.D. Robb’s “In Death” series, made up of more than 60 books. She was close to completing the full set when she passed away.
“She was three from the end, and I had the three,” Mackenzie says. “I was so devastated by that.”
Another patron frequently offered to tip Mackenzie and Kateri, which they would always refuse. He would compromise with Werther’s Originals candies instead, which they would share back at work.
Thank you letters from patrons and family members of others who have passed away are reminders of what At-Home Services has meant to so many; the peace and comfort that specifically selected books, films, music and warmth have brought.
“Thank you for positively impacting my little family’s life,” one note reads. “Bringing the world to us via books, DVDs, information, and wonderful scents that the green pouches have.”
To sign up for the service, patrons need to fill out a form and either submit it through snail mail or email. The form and additional information can be found here. You must be a resident of Jackson County and be unable to get to the library for one of the three aforementioned reasons.
You can reach At-Home Services by phone at 541-774-6562 or by email at athomeservices@jcls.org for more information.