When your horizons narrow through age, disability or illness, nothing broadens them again like a good book – and perhaps a friendly chat.

That’s what North Yorkshire libraries are offering through the home library service – and people are being encouraged to sign up for the service or to volunteer to deliver it.

Books, audiobooks and DVDs chosen to suit each customer’s tastes are delivered free to people who find it difficult to get to their library because of ill health, disability, being a carer, or short-term reasons, such as a young mother with a new baby. Since April 1 this year, 284 home library service volunteers have delivered to 1,126 people across the county.

One of those is Cath Holden, who said: “It’s sad when a decrease in mobility or lack of means to get to a library takes away that pleasure of an hour spent browsing the shelves and coming home with a bagful of books. So when a friend who is a user of the home library service contacted them for me, suddenly a whole new world opened up. Now, less TV, more enjoyment of a good book!”

Volunteer roles include choosing books based on customers’ likes or delivering books to people.

Morna McLennan, 74, was among about 40 volunteers who took on management of the library now known as Derwent Valley Bridge in West Ayton in 2012. Since then, she has supported the home library service selecting books for customers. Over the years, she has built up a picture of readers’ likes and dislikes.

“We do our best to order in books if people want something specific,” she said. “Every now and again you might include something they haven’t asked for, just as a trial. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. One lady we deliver to now used to be a picker when we started. She’ll tell me exactly what she likes and doesn’t like. People like that are great, they really help the job along.”

Retired teacher Steph Crossley, 70, has been a home library service volunteer in Northallerton since 2012, both choosing and delivering books.

“It gives people a chance to carry on reading if they want to,” she said. “If you have been a reader all your life it is nice to have library books there if you want them. I would hate not to have books available.”

“It is a really nice job to do,” she said. “Even if you are volunteering, it has to suit you. You don’t need to know a lot about books, just to like the thought of delivering books to people.”

Naomi Wilson has seen the service from both sides – and having been a customer was keen to give back by volunteering,

Naomi, 35, started using the service at Selby library during treatment for a brain tumour.

“I was isolated because of my treatment, I didn’t really have a social aspect to my life, so having somebody from outside coming and giving me books brought a bit of normality to the situation,” she said.

Following her recovery, she began volunteering with the service in October, mainly selecting books, but joining delivery runs, too.

“Before I got ill, I wanted to work with children, but my brain tumour left me with balance issues, so looking after children is not suitable now,” she said. “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, but I am a caring kind of person, so I wanted to do something that was to do with caring, so the library and giving back what I have had from the library and home library service was a good option.”

Retired teacher Ann Busfield, 79, has been delivering books as a home library service volunteer for 10 years or more. She works out of Skipton library, where she has been a customer her whole life.

“It is not a huge commitment, but I really enjoy it,” she said, “mainly because we have such wonderful chats. All the customers I visit definitely value it very highly. I get to talk to interesting people and get different viewpoints.

“One of the things I get out of it is reading recommendations, so I have developed a broader reading base than I used to have. It is very much a two-way thing.”

Among Mrs Busfield’s customers is Jo Holland, 84, who said: “There are probably a lot of people who, especially in the winter, don’t go out. They don’t have to be a pensioner like me, they can be young and have a disability. If you love reading, it is a wonderful service.”

Adam Watson, 58, retired to Malton from London four years ago and immediately volunteered to deliver books for the home library service.

“Because we moved to an area I didn’t know, it was a great way of finding out about the area,” he said. “It meant I got to discover the area and it brought me into contact with local people, which was really good, because every one of my customers has a great story to tell about their life.

“Most of it is about the interaction. It’s the conversations, catching up on what’s happening in Malton or with their families and things like that, because a lot of the people don’t leave their homes. It is a fantastic service, but perhaps people are not aware of it. The capacity to grow is huge. I want more customers!”

There is capacity for more people to sign up to the service, as well as opportunities to volunteer.

Get in touch with your library or find out more about using the home library service or volunteering here.