City Hall employees become riders to bring books to the homes of those who can't get out

On foot, by public transportation, by van or by cargobike: since Friday, November 27, 66 employees of theLibrary Area of the City of Milan have voluntarily turned into riders to bring books on loan to the homes of citizens over 70 and to all those who, due to the Covid-19 epidemic or for health reasons, cannot leave their homes or it is recommended that they do not.

The new service is called Biblio express, and as of Friday to date there have already been 235 users who have received at home books, films and other pre-booked materials that remained in libraries due to the closure brought about by the last DPCM of November 3. And now the service is about to be expanded thanks to the collaboration with the Ugo social network, already active in the municipality of Milan with services to assist and support the elderly or those in fragile conditions. Nine Ugo operators will be available to libraries until January 31, 2021, one for each City Hall, to ensure home lending.

Starting Thursday, Dec. 3, users who fall into the categories to which the service is dedicated will be able to call or email their regular library and make requests for books, audiobooks, films, and music CDs to be received directly at home, at an agreed-upon time and at a set time. All types of documents eligible for borrowing can be requested. Some of these “reading riders” will be selected from among the guests of the “Enzo Jannacci” Home, and specifically trained to carry out the delivery activity. This additional feature gives the service an additional social value because it encourages those paths of orientation and exit from situations of marginality that accompany and complement the hospitality offered by the Home.

For citizens who do not have mobility problems, on the other hand, a pick-up service for books booked at some bookstores in the LIM (Librerie Indipendenti Milano) circuit and at 36 newsstands associated with SNAG (Sindacato Nazionale Autonomo Giornalai) is scheduled to be activated starting next week. To access the service, it will be enough to connect from December 7 to the portal of the Milan Library System and reserve from the online catalog the works in which you are interested, at the same time choosing the newsstand or bookstore where to pick them up. The list of pick-up locations will be updated in real time.

Biblio express, the City of Milan says, will be guaranteed on an experimental basis until January 31, 2021. When libraries can return to regular operation, the City will consider whether to maintain it in those neighborhoods of the city that do not have a library in the immediate vicinity, so as to expand the network of “lending points” and offer users a service with greater territorial proximity.

Image: the library in Calvairate

City Hall employees become riders to bring books to the homes of those who can't get out

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