Thousands of people in the community are able to have a romance, ride along on the cattle trail, or solve a mystery through literature delivered directly to their homes.
Red Carpet Services, an outreach service of the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, visits 55 senior-living and 85 homebound sites a month. Customers for whom reading has become difficult appreciate our selection of large print titles, magnifiers and DVDs.
“I love mysteries, especially mysteries written by women,” said Stevye Knowles, who lives at McCrite Plaza with her husband, Jim. “I especially like Cozies. They center on a woman; she isn’t a detective, but mysteries happen around her. She’s very curious. She’s a homemaker and ends up solving mysteries in a very cozy fashion. It’s not a procedural mystery; they pay attention to the people.”
Just like the authors of the Cozy subgenre, members of our Red Carpet Services department pay attention to people.
“You really develop a special relationship with each individual,” said Dave Coleman, a Public Services Specialist who goes out on Red Carpet site visits. His statement is echoed by the 9 other staffers who do the same work – connecting the reader to the outside world.
“I’m 55, and we’ve seen an uptick of people like me who are Baby Boomers. They want to keep doing what they want to do, including reading. And even when their eyesight fails, they will figure out ways to keep reading. The library is part of that solution,” Coleman said.
To inquire about Red Carpet Services for yourself or someone you know, please call 785-580-4545. On the call, ask about our free mailing services for the blind program.
