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Knox County Public Library delivers books to homebound for free

The program depends on volunteers.

Knox County resident Judith Keyworth can't put a number on the amount of books she has read in her lifetime. 

"They're my friends," Keyworth said about her favorite books. "Right now, I read a chapter or so before bed. That way I don't have to think about the things that did or didn't happen during the day." 

These days, Keyworth is in a wheelchair after suffering a stroke, so she can't easily run out to the store or the library to pick up a new book. 

She applied for Knox County Public Library's "Books for the Homebound" program and gained more than a delivery of page-turners.

She made a friend in volunteer Anne Bilbrey, who delivers a bag of books every month. 

"The fact is, I live alone, so when Anne comes, I really look forward to her visits," Keyworth said. 

"Sometimes, I'm one of the few people they see since they're homebound. Besides food, what else is there? Books," Bilbrey said as Keyworth piped in and said, "It's nourishment." 

Bilbrey and Keyworth sit in the living room talking about life, home renovations, and of course, books.

"Oh you're going to love that one," Bilbrey gushes as Keyworth pulls a copy of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine out of the bag. 

When she signed up, Keyworth told the library what genre of books she likes and some of her favorite authors and they tailor her deliveries to her interests.

Even though she lives by herself, with an unending stream of book deliveries, she's never really alone. 

If you interested in applying for the program or volunteering, contact Books for the Homebound at (865) 215-8721 or  homebound@knoxlib.org.

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