County library offers mobile services

New Philadelphia resident Jane Cotter has been visiting the county library for over 75 years.

“I started walking to the library when I was 8,” Cotter said. “By the time I was 11, I bought my first bike and made sure it had a basket for my books.”

Over the years Cotter moved around Tuscarawas County but kept visiting the library.

“When we moved to Fair Avenue, I started walking to the library again,” Cotter said. “I took my daughter Jennifer and then, on occasion, my grandkids when they were in town.”

An avid reader, Cotter enjoys romance books, and once she became homebound, her niece introduced her to the library’s mobile services department.

“We deliver books to homes, nursing homes and long-term care facilities in our service area,” mobile services supervisor Lacy Bartley said. “We pick up and drop off items on a biweekly basis to those who struggle to get to the library due to temporary or long-term illness, disability or issues concerning mobility.”

“Now that I’m at the Park Village Nursing Home, they continue to bring me books,” Cotter said. “I have a lot of spare time and am glad for the service. I would be lost without it.”

Mobile service customers are able to place their own holds, or the library will provide items based on a customer’s likes and preferences. There is no checkout limit or late fines for those participating in the home delivery service. Customers also are able to check out other items including DVDs and CDs.

“We are honored to serve people at every stage of their life, whether serving a customer for a day or through their lifetime like with Jane Cotter,” Director Michelle McMorrow Ramsell said.

Those interested in receiving home deliveries can access forms online at www.tusclibrary.org, stop by one of the library system’s five locations or call mobile services at 330-364-4474 ext. 250.