GUIDANCE FOR DARLINGTON LIBRARY'S HOME DELIVERY VOLUNTEERS

The Home Delivery & Housebound Service consists of 12 routes spread over a 3 week timetable.  Each route is split into morning and afternoon deliveries.  Volunteers will be responsible for delivering boxes of books to residents in the Darlington area.

  • Arrive at Crown Street library either 9.30am or 1.30pm.  Use the East Street entrance to the back lane, the gates will be open for you
  • One of our library attendants will be at the back door of the library, ready to greet you.  Our attendants are Bob Harwood and Jennifer Feeney
  • You will be given an ID badge, a notepad and a list of names, addresses and driving instructions for your route.  Due to present circumstances, you will also be given a bottle of hand sanitiser to use as necessary
  • The attendant will help you to load the boxes into your car.  All of the boxes will have a delivery note attached
  • When you arrive at each home:
    • Place the box on the doorstep and knock on the door
    • Step back from the door, at least 2 metres
    • Ask the customer to take their new books out of the box and place any books that they’d like to return into the empty box
    • Advise that the next visit will be in 4 weeks
    • If the customer has any comments or requests, please make a note for the library staff
    • If there is no answer at the door, telephone Crown Street on 01325 349610 and let the staff know.  They will call the customer straight away (they may be in the house/garden and not have heard you).  The library staff will call you back with instructions
    • Once they have placed their returned books in the box, ask the customer to close their door.  You can then step forward and collect the box
  • Due to the risk of infection, the returned boxes need to be kept separate from the new deliveries in your car
  • Once all of the deliveries have been completed, telephone the library and inform the staff that you will be returning shortly
  • Bob or Jen will meet you in the back lane and help you to unload your car

If at any time you are unable to deliver the books, please contact the library as soon as possible so that other arrangements can be made.  We really appreciate your help and thank you for giving your time to deliver this essential service.

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