Ottawa Public Library (OPL) - Homebound Services

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Free delivery of library materials at the Ottawa Public Library (OPL)

Do you love to read, listen to books on CD, or watch movies, but have difficulty getting to a library branch regularly?

The Ottawa Public Library’s Homebound Services department provides free delivery of library materials to Ottawa residents who are unable to visit us regularly due to age, illness or disability. A minimum commitment of three months is required to sign up for the service. OPL delivers library materials to individual homes, retirement residences and long-term care facilities throughout the City of Ottawa.

What do customers of OPL’s Homebound Services tell us?

They regularly tell us about the difference we make in their quality of life. “Although I was a long-time user of the library prior to my injury, I didn't know that Homebound services existed for almost a year after I became confined to my home. It is a wonderful service that has made a huge difference to me in my recovery.”

Another wrote us a note to say that “books are my best medicine – perhaps better than my blood thinners, which are keeping me alive.”

A third customer pointed out that by providing access to reading, our service “makes the difference between golden years and muddy ones."

Our knowledgeable and dedicated staff work with customers to create a profile outlining their interests and use this information to select material and deliver them once per month. Customers registered with Homebound Services can borrow or access any resource from the OPL collection including print books, audiobooks, music CDs, DVDs, magazines, online resources and more.

For customers who are still able to use a library branch, but may need longer borrowing periods due to a disability or illness, they can apply instead for “Accessibility Status.”

Accessibility status will extend their borrowing periods to six weeks for all items, except those in the Express collection, and downloadable content.

Application forms are available at all library branches or online at BiblioOttawaLibrary.ca/accessibility.

To sign up for monthly deliveries, customers can call the Homebound Services office at 613-580-2944.