• What are Homebound Services?
• Are these services free? Yes!
• Who is eligible?
• How does it work?
• What can you borrow?
• How may a visit be arranged?
• Other related services

What are Homebound Services?

Whatcom County Library's Homebound Services Program brings library materials to people at home who are unable to visit a community library because of an ongoing physical condition. We also visit retirement homes and senior apartments, rest homes, adult family homes and other residential care situations.

Are these services free? Yes!

Homebound Services are provided free of charge. Individuals may be charged for lost items.

Who is eligible?

Any Whatcom County resident who lives outside the city limits of Bellingham who has an ongoing physical condition that prevents their visiting a community library building. Also, residential care facilities within this area.

People living inside the Bellingham City limits interested in similar services may go here for information on Bellingham Public Library's Outreach services .

How does it work?

• You tell us what types of books and/or other materials you want.
• We select library materials for you according to your criteria.
• A librarian delivers books and other materials to you every month on a regular basis, and picks up items ready for return.
• You may also request specific titles, authors or subjects in person, from our online catalog, or by telephone at: (360) 384-3150, Extension 264

What can you borrow?

• Regular and large-print books: fiction and non-fiction for all ages, including colorful picture books
• Magazines
• Books-on-tape, books-on-CD and Playaways (a new kind of audio book)
• Music CD's
• Videotapes and DVD's
• Of special interest to care facilities:
• Rotating deposit collections for common areas
• Multi-media theme kits to stimulate memory-sharing
• Titles to educate and support care-givers

How may a visit be arranged?

You or a friend, relative or caregiver may contact Mobile Services at 360-384-3150, Extension 264. Please leave voice mail if we are away from the telephone, or dial 0 to speak with a receptionist.

Other related services:

Washington Talking Book and Braille Library

We can help eligible patrons with applications for the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library.  "Talking Books" and "Talking Magazines" and special equipment to use them are available free of charge for people who are:

• legally blind or deaf-blind
• visually impaired (cannot easily read conventional size print)
• physically handicapped (cannot comfortably hold books or turn  pages)
• learning disabled due to organic dysfunction

The Whatcom County Library System also visits the county jail once a week. The jail library collection is funded primarily through donations, although specific title and subject requests can be filled from WCLS collection.