As the director of library and community services for the City of Menlo Park, I created a Books By Mail service to provide access to library materials to residents who are unable to come into the library and/or carry home checked-out items due to advanced age, long-term or permanent mobility impairment, or who are immunocompromised.
The Books By Mail project was launched during the 2020 pandemic stay-at-home orders as a way for library patrons to receive their library books from the hold shelf without physically coming to the library or leaving their homes. The project was an innovative public-private partnership between Menlo Park Library, Kepler’s Books, and Friends of Menlo Park Library.
After the pandemic stay-at-home orders were lifted, the Books By Mail project continued as a way for patrons with mobility challenges or other conditions that prevented them from coming to the library to receive books.
The Books By Mail project inspired a companion program for sending seed packets from the Seed Lending Library to library patrons through the postal service during the pandemic stay-at-home orders.
This section is under construction. Check back for updates soon. For more information about this project, contact me. Thank you!
Sean S. Reinhart 