Dec. 18, 2023 – Patron Services Specialist Michele Prostine runs the Books By Mail program for the library which delivers books, audiobooks, and movies to homebound patron’s homes. She spends time on the phone with patrons, listening to their interests and which books they liked or didn’t like, and uses those conversations to carefully select books to send to patrons. 

“I love Michele, she does a great job. She writes me little notes to go with the books,” Books by Mail patron Barbara Whitmer, 91, said. “We have great phone calls.” 

This summer, she and other Books by Mail patrons participated in the library’s Summer Dare. Library staff designed a modified reading challenge that could be completed without leaving home or needing to get online. 

Fifteen patrons completed the program, reading a total of 151,997 minutes. Michele worked with them, registering them for the program and helping them record their minutes. It was her idea to create a specialized version of the Summer Dare for Books by Mail. 

“It just hit me. Summer Dare is for the whole community. They’re part of our community, so why not reach out and provide this for them?” Michele said. “It’s about our whole community. Not only is everyone welcome in our doors, we’ll reach out to those who have barriers to getting to our library.” 

Barbara has macular degeneration. Legally blind, she stopped driving when she was 80. She uses a reading machine, a device that magnifies images and text, to read mail and write birthday cards. However, for reading, she relies on audio books. She also enjoys getting movies from the library. 

She keeps her mind active – one of her secrets to a long and happy life – by spending an hour after lunch each day listening to an audiobook from the library while playing solitaire. The card game helps keep her from falling asleep, she said. 

Listening to books also has a health benefit. She has struggled with high blood pressure. She takes blood pressure readings at home, and her doctor recommended she start taking it after an hour of listening to a book. 

Sure enough, it worked – after listening to a book, her blood pressure is almost always where it should be. 

“It doesn’t work so well if it’s an exciting book,” she laughed. “I like all kinds of books. I used to get a lot of suspense, and then I went to biographies, but there aren’t so many of those as audiobooks. Now I’m enjoying historical fiction.” 

Michele said her regular conversations with patrons like Barbara are her favorite part of her job. 

“Just getting to interact with all the patrons and offering this amazing service that makes them feel independent and part of the library community – it fills my cup,” she said. “Outreach is at the heart of a lot of people here.” 

Our Books By Mail program is for patrons who are not able to visit the library because of a temporary or permanent disability. Anyone interested in participating can find more information at CRLibrary.org/books-by-mail or by calling the library at (319) 261-7323.