Wendy Boucuvalas moved to Oakwood from another Dayton suburb a year ago. No longer driving, she missed her trips to the local library. 

Thanks to Wright Memorial Public Library, Boucuvalas has another option that has allowed her to continue her love of reading and interact with a librarian. She’s now using Wright Library’s Wright To Your Home service, which allows her to put in requests for specific books or genres to be delivered to her home and later returned by a library staff member. 

“You can ask your family to take you to the doctor, to CVS … but to the library … they have to wait, you can’t browse,” she said. “This is wonderful.” 

Any Oakwood resident who is permanently or temporarily unable to visit the library may participate in Wright to Your Home. Requests can be made by phone or online at wrightlibrary.org/delivery, and the materials are delivered and returned by library staff. 

“Not everyone who wants to make use of the library can physically come to the library,” said Wright Library’s Adult Services Coordinator Brian Potts. “We also recognize that our location offers some additional challenges for those with mobility limitations. For some, our online digital collections satisfy, but for others a physical item is still preferred or even necessary.  For those patrons, we offer our Wright to Your Home delivery service. We work with each patron to customize the experience to ensure they are getting materials they will enjoy.”

Potts delivers Boucuvalas’ new books and returns the others every three weeks. He makes sure to ask if the last books met the mark, and they talk a while about what she has been reading or would like to read in the future.

“Many of the patrons we deliver to tell us we’re lifesavers, which may seem a bit much, but for someone who cannot get out, a good book or film, can make a significant difference in their enjoyment of life,” Potts said.

Boucuvalas  enjoys not only the reading, but the connection with a librarian. Going to the library meant you got to know the people who worked there. 

“I like that it’s not just a drive-up delivery,” she said. 

For Potts, knowing that getting books from the library really can improve a person’s life is the reward for making deliveries.  

“And it’s also a chance to talk about books, which really is part of why we read them,” he said.

Wright to Your Home also allows Boucuvalas to expand the variety of books she reads. Typically a lover of mysteries and Westerns, lately she’s enjoying biographies, especially after reading “Educated” by Tara Westover. 

“I am maturing in my tastes,” she jokes. “Reading is my pleasure.” 

To learn more about Wright to Your Home, visit wrightlibrary.org/delivery or call Wright Memorial Public Library at (937) 294-7171.

Feb.26, 2020

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