About the Service
MPHPL selects and delivers reading materials by mail at no cost to patrons who are unable to visit the library due to disability or infirmity.
Reading materials include:
- Books (regular and large print)
- Audiobooks
- Magazines
Please note that ILL (Interlibrary Loan) materials are not available for delivery.
Eligibility
- You must be a resident of Penn or Harris townships.
- You must be physically unable to visit our library. It is assumed that you are requesting delivery because you are not able to visit our facilities.
- You must be eligible for an MPHPL library card; if a current cardholder, you must be in good standing (all fines are resolved).
- Depending on the number of applicants, you may be placed on a waiting list.
How it Works
Complete the Application Process
Begin the application process by calling (574) 259-5277 ext. 3101. Our MPHPL staff will assist you in filling out the application. Once your application is approved, MPHPL staff will ship your first bag.
Tell Us What You Like to Read
- Provide information on what you like to read during your sign-up interview.
- Request specific titles by calling the MPHPL Reference Desk at (574) 259-5277 ext. 3300, or by filling out the feedback sheet included in every mailing bag. These items will be placed on hold and delivered to you once they become available.
Receive and Return Your Delivery
- Materials are delivered in a heavy-duty canvas bag with a shipping label. Up to four items may be sent per shipment.
- Once you have finished your material, flip the shipping label over and place the bag with your outgoing mail. All materials must be sent back together.
- Once the library receives your return bag, staff will begin preparing your next shipment.
Books by Mail Video
Use arrow keys to navigate between accordion items, and use enter to open them.
Video Transcript: Books by Mail Service
Video Transcript: Books by Mail Service
| Audio | Visual |
|---|---|
| [Anna Fergerson] I have to have my specs on so I can see. (Laughs) | Anna Fergerson is wearing glasses while looking at her smartphone and speaking. |
| [Narrator] Anna Fergerson – Loves the Books by Mail program! | Fergerson holds a book open, titled “An Amish Christmas Wedding”. |
| [Fergerson] I would encourage people who can’t get out who don’t have a car, like me. | Fergerson speaks while sitting in a chair at her home. Superimposed graphic on bottom third of screen reads, “Anna Fergerson: MPHPL Books by Mail Patron”. |
| [Fergerson] I don’t have a way to get to the library or to take the books back if somebody gets some books out for me. | Fergerson speaks while sitting in a chair at her home. |
| [Fergerson] I love to read – I took four years of English. | Fergerson leans back in her chair while reading and flipping a page in a book titled “An Amish Christmas Wedding”. |
| [Narrator] And she loves when the Books by Mail bag arrives in her mail. | A street with a mailbox and driveways. |
| [Fergerson] And I get my books ... I look through the bag to see what I want to read first. | Fergerson zips open an MPHPL Books by Mail bag, filled with her borrowed books. |
| [Kathryn Cullison] Anna tends to read items that I would consider kind of happy gentle reads. | Kathryn Cullison speaks in her office at the Harris Branch. Superimposed graphic on bottom third of screen reads, “Kathryn Cullison: MPHPL Harris Branch Adult Services Team Leader" |
| [Fergerson] At first, I started reading this book. It was the best book they had in there this last time. | Fergerson sits in a chair at her home while holding and describing the book titled, “The Hotel Nantucket”. |
| [Narrator] Kathryn Cullison, the MPHPL adult services team leader at the Harris Branch, is the librarian who heads up the Books by Mail program. | Cullison assembles the MPHPL Books by Mail package. |
| [Cullison] I am the one who does the holds and the checkouts for each patron. | Cullison searches for and takes a book off of the library’s bookshelf. |
| [Cullison] We average around 20 to 25 patrons at a time. | Cullison inspects a book. |
| [Narrator] Anna is one of her many Books by Mail patrons. | Fergerson speaks at her home with no audio. |
| [Fergerson] So, this way I don’t have to worry about getting a book that’s overdue. | Fergerson speaks while sitting in a chair at her home. |
| [Cullison] We can send them books, magazines, audiobooks. | A library bookshelf, a pile of magazines, and an audiobook shelf. |
| [Cullison] This is a really nice delivery system for people who can’t get to the library due to transportation or medical issues where we can continue to deliver items to them while they are at home. | Cullison speaks in her office at the Harris Branch. The bin labeled, “United States Postal Service” is on a shelf at the Mishawaka Library. The US Postal Service workers take the box outside of the Mishawaka Library. The US Postal Service vehicle drives around the library parking lot. |
| [Cullison] When we sign people up for Books by Mail, we have an application, and we’ll ask about various fiction genres as well as nonfiction categories. | Cullison speaks in her office at the Harris Branch. Various library bookshelves are shown in between this scene. |
| [Cullison] We do our best to try to send them things that interest them. | Cullison speaks in her office at the Harris Branch. |
| [Cullison] Some of the patrons choose their own items; they send me a list and I pull those and get them sent out for them. | Cullison sits at her desk and reads a paper note. She then takes a book off of a library shelf and inspects the item. |
| [Narrator] As the case with the four items Anna receives in the Books by Mail bag. | The MPHPL Books by Mail bag. |
| [Fergerson] And they are books that I request. | Fergerson speaks while sitting in a chair at her home. |
| [Cullison] I’m glad to send her whatever she wants to read. | Cullison speaks in her office at the Harris Branch. |
| [Fergerson] There’s a label that comes in here then I turn it over to send it back to them – they send it to you and then you turn the label over and send it back to them, and you’re good to go. | The MPHPL Books by Mail bag, clear pocket for mailing labels. Fergerson speaks while sitting in a chair at her home. |
| [Cullison] This is a program that’s totally free to our patrons; it is limited to patrons within our service area – that would be Penn and Harris township. | Cullison speaks in her office at the Harris Branch. |
| [Narrator] A free service, this patron says, is invaluable. | Fergerson speaks at her home with no audio. |
| [Fergerson] I’ll sit back in my chair, and I just read my book. | Fergerson speaks while leaning back into a chair at her home and holding a book. |
| [Fergerson] It’s like, really relaxing to me. | The Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library logo, which includes the tagline "Learning for a Lifetime", is displayed in color, along with the MPHPL website URL in white text, “mphpl.org". |
Lending Periods, Fines and Suspension of Service
Lending Periods
Items are loaned for 6 weeks. Items cannot be renewed.
Fines and Suspension of Services
Late fees do not apply for most items; however, after 90 days items are considered lost and will incur replacement fees.
Services will be suspended if:
- The library receives no contact from you for 90 days.
- An item is considered lost and billed to your account. Service can be resumed if the item is returned or the bill is paid.
- You may suspend or cancel service by notifying MPHPL.
Additional Resources
- Residents of Indiana who are blind or have limited vision, as well as those who are unable to hold a book, are eligible for services through the Indiana Talking Book and Braille Library.
- Large print books, digital audiobooks and players, and Braille materials are mailed from the Indiana State Library with free return postage guaranteed.
- MPHPL can assist you with the application process for this program, or you can contact the Indiana State Library at 1-800-622-4970.