Delivery Services
Home Delivery
If you cannot visit the library, either temporary or permanently, and are a Bloomington resident, you are eligible for Home Delivery Service. If you reside in Golden Prairie Public Library District , see our Books-By-Mail Service (described below).
Examples of the types of customers using Home Delivery include: a pregnant woman on bedrest, a person with a broken leg, seniors unable to use public transportation in the winter, homebound individuals, and persons undergoing treatment for cancer or other serious illness.
Materials available for delivery include books, large print books, magazines, videos & DVDs, and books on tape & CD. A library staff member or volunteer will deliver the materials to your home on a specified day every other week. The Home Delivery Service Coordinator will take your application over the phone or in person. Materials will be selected for you based on your reading interests and special needs. You do not need a library card to be eligible for this service. Sign up for the program by calling Sara at 557-8925.
Books by Mail
Anyone living in Arrowsmith, Bloomington, Dale, Dawson, and Old Town Townships can participate in this free program. If you reside in the city of Bloomington see Home Delivery Service (above).
The Books-By-Mail paperback collection includes fiction and
non-fiction titles for adults, children and teens. You’ll find science fiction, romance, horror, best-sellers, humor, westerns, historical novels, picture books, mysteries, chapter books and beginner readers. Books-By-Mail is easy to use and is absolutely free. Bloomington Public Library pays the postage (both ways) on Books-By-Mail.
To use Books-By-Mail, e-mail Outreach Services or call Bonnie at 557-8922 to have your name placed on our mailing list. Your first catalog will be sent immediately. Catalogs list recently added books, but most paperbacks in the library’s collection are available through Books-By-Mail. List author and title of the books you would like to borrow on your postage paid order form, then send your request to Bloomington Public Library. The books will be checked out and mailed to you. Books are loaned for four weeks. We will place holds on titles that are already in circulation. Books are returned in the mail bag provided by the library (postage paid by the Bloomington Public Library).
Once you register for Books-By-Mail, future catalogs will be automatically mailed to you. We add more than 200 new titles every month.
Talking Books
Talking Book Service is offered through the Mid-Illinois Talking Book Center in
East Peoria, IL. This service is provided free of charge to anyone unable to read because of a visual or physical limitation. Thousands of books for adults and children are available with this service. There are also a variety of magazines available on tape. Talking Book tapes have been recorded at a slower speed than regular audio cassettes and have four sides instead of two. A special Talking Book machine is issued to each customer free of charge. Talking Book customers receive bi-monthly catalogs that announce new releases and include order forms.
Applications for Talking Book Service are available through Bloomington Public Library's Outreach Services. One of our library staff will fill out the application for you and get you started on this wonderful service. If you have any questions please call Laura at 557-8923.