My mother is home bound and loves to read..is there a web site that
she can check out books through the mail, then return them via mail?
thanks
Kathy

Hi bonzobonz,

There's a fellow in Concord, Massachusetts, by the name of Mark
Anderson, who will actually send your Mom books at no cost to her (as
long as she is in the US or Canada).

BookLend A Lending Library by Post:
"Welcome to Booklend, a lending library that sends books out by the
mail. Booklend is the creation of a man with a postage meter, a
roomful of books, and an urge to share. Borrowing a book is free, and
you're welcome to keep the book until you're done. Read it at your
leisure -- nobody likes to be rushed while they're reading. When
you're done, pop it back in the mail. We'll even pay return postage."
http://www.booklend.net/

BookLend FAQ: 
"By and large, Booklend is the product of Mark Anderson, who conceived
of the idea, donated the majority of the books, ships them, pays the
postage, and maintains a sunny disposition. He also kicks butt and
takes names at foosball."
http://www.booklend.net/faq.php

Depending upon where your mother is located, you may be able to find a
mail order library service in her state. For example, here is the
North Central Regional Library Service (NCRL) in Washington State:
Mail Order Library:
http://www.ncrl.org:591/search.html

What comes up when you order a Stephen King title from NCRL:
http://www.ncrl.org:591/FMPro?-db=mol.fp5&-format=detail.html&-lay=list%20view&-op=cn&Author=Stephen%20King&-op=cn&Type=Book&-recid=12596106&-find=

Your mother can also read entire books online (I know, it's not the
same as holding the actual book but many seniors are finding this form
of reading very convenient, especially if they have arthritis or
reduced vision).

Gutenberg Project: Books Online (free):
http://www.gutenberg.net/

Questia Online Library (subscription):
http://www.questia.com/

I hope this helps. If you have any questions, please post a
clarification request before rating my answer.

Thank you,
hummer

Google Search Terms Used:

"mail order library"
libraries online "mail order"
online libraries "mail order"
online library

Thank you so much! I will give all options to her and see what works best.

Thank you for your thank you, Kathy, I was glad to be able to help. If
your mother hasn't gotten into computers yet, this might be a good
time to introduce one (a laptop) - my 86 year old aunt is getting
pretty good on hers (I'm so proud of her), and it really has enriched
her life. The bonus has been that we are able to play scrabble with
each other, even though 500 miles separate us. Anyway, just a thought.

Take care,
hummer

There's also BookCrossings
http://www.bookcrossing.com/home
--a network of readers who pass on their books after reading by
releasing them into the wild (they're "free").  Some people do it by
leaving the books on a park bench, in a coffeeshop, or other creative
locations; some attend swap meetings; and some do it by mail.  The
idea is that you can track who read your book and passed it on.  You
can post comments about your books when you relase them, and you can
also look for books you're interested in.  It's a labor of love for
the facilitator and costs nothing to join or use.

Apteryx