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Thanks to a Jackson County Library Services outreach program, 90-plus homebound patrons can travel the world or soar to far-off galaxies with help from a good book. The stories are time capsules with tales of days gone by, daily doses of inspiration, or a peek into global espionage. For some, it’s an opportunity to be taken places they’ve never been before. Sheila Fortman-Craun, an outreach coordinator with Jackson County Library Services, makes sure that readers are never without a stack of books. Many check out six to 10 books each month, but she said one reader devours 30 books. “These are certainly people who love books,” she said. Fortman-Craun coordinates a team of seven volunteers who make monthly deliveries to retirement communities and assisted-living and memory-care centers, including Fountain Plaza and Northridge Center in Medford and Brookdale and Skylark in Ashland, as well as adult foster care homes and private homes. She calls the volunteers “the heartbeat” of the program. For people not able to get to a library due to age, illness or disability, a book and a volunteer are many times a patron’s only connection with the outside world, she said. When the library does not hear from a regular in a while, Fortman-Craun contacts police or a social service agency to initiate a wellness check. The service is free. And while most books are checked out for three weeks at a time, the homebound patrons are on a six-week cycle, and there are no fines levied for overdue books. Janet Blagdon figures she has read about 1,000 books since she started with the program in 2012. “I was getting 12, then 10 books every month,” she said. “I am down to eight. ... I am doing crossword puzzles in between books. Sometimes I run out of books before the six weeks are up.” Blagdon, who turned 77 on New Year’s Day, moved to Fountain Plaza three years ago. Fortman-Craun credits Blagdon with bringing the outreach program to Fountain Plaza. “Her enthusiasm stirred interest here,” she said. Blagdon said she discovered books late in life. “I didn’t read much as a child,” she said. The little Pennsylvania town she lived in had one stoplight and no library, she recalled. “It wasn’t until I retired that I really started reading.” She said Stuart Woods and Janet Evanovich are two of her favorite authors. During a recent visit, Fortman-Craun learned that Blagdon is scheduled for a medical procedure later this month to ease her chronic back pain. She made sure that Blagdon’s book deliveries will continue. “We don’t want her service to stop just because she’s recovering from surgery,” she said. Between 540 and 900 titles are circulated through the Outreach to the Homebound program every month, which adds up to between 6,480 and 10,800 each year. The average patron reads about two books a week, says Fortman-Craun. To say that 84-year-old Ramona Lewis “reads a lot” is an understatement. Her granddaughter got her started reading large-print westerns and inspirational fiction eight to 10 at a time. Now, she reads just half a dozen every month. Fortman-Craun recently introduced Lewis to Christian fiction writer Robin Lee Hatcher. “I have always liked books,” said the longtime Fountain Plaza resident. “My mother wasn’t big on books when we were growing up. There were not many in the house.” The Outreach to the Homebound delivers more than books. Other library materials, such as audio books, music CDs and films on DVD, are also circulated, and books can be downloaded on Kindle or other digital reading devices. While many have library bags delivered to their doorstep, others utilize the United States Postal Service for deliveries. Eight bags of books are mailed every week. Sometimes, family members or caregivers pick up or deliver the materials. Whatever mode the patron prefers, Fortman-Craun makes sure the service is tailor-made. “(This service) is wonderful,” said 80-something Georgene Webber, a resident at Fountain Plaza Retirement Center. “I am a reader, that’s for sure, but I can’t hobble around a library anymore.” For more information, contact Sheila Fortman-Craun at 541-774-6562 or by email at [email protected]. Reach Grants Pass freelance writer Tammy Asnicar at [email protected].