Volunteers Make a Difference at the Library
The Ithaca Journal
September 7, 2005
Susan Frey, Assistant Director
I heard a poignant story this week about volunteers. A young teen who loved animals volunteered to help at the local zoo. She was handed a shovel and pointed in the direction of the elephants. Removing tons of manure was not quite what she had in mind when she volunteered!
We match volunteers with volunteer jobs every day at the Tompkins County Public Library. Prospective volunteers come to us with their own set of expectations about what they want to do at the library, and it’s our job to make a good match between them and the jobs available. During the past few months, volunteers at the library helped us in so many ways.
The successful party for the new Harry Potter book couldn’t have happened without a cadre of volunteers. The Youth Services staff gave rave reviews to the enthusiastic volunteer help they received from Onsite Volunteers and community members. And the volunteers were thrilled to help with such a fun program. Some were seen sporting Harry Potter glasses and wizard hats during the event.
We are wrapping up the annual Summer Reading Program, with well over 1,000 children participating. Thanks to all the volunteers who have been signing up kids and handing out prizes. Some of our Summer Reading Program volunteers are past participants in the reading program, and return year after year to help out. What better way to get young people involved in the community and foster a love of books and reading! Our summer Youth Employment Service workers also assisted with the Summer Reading Program and in the Circulation department. The library appreciates benefiting from this young talent.
We have had a large number of teen volunteers this year who make sure that the books in the Youth Services department are clean and in good order on the shelves. These are jobs that will not get done without volunteers and we are grateful for their assistance.
Let’s not forget our regular volunteers, who enrich the library in so many ways! Did you know we have an average of 100 active volunteers at any given time that contribute 350-750 hours per month to the library?
When you call the library with questions, you may be speaking with our wonderful phone volunteers who direct your calls. Our greeters at the entrance provide directions and answer general questions about the library. Volunteer Internet trainers continue to help patrons improve their computer skills.(We’ve trained thousands of people on how to use the Internet.) Some volunteers provide data entry help in our administrative offices. Shelf readers help keep books tidy on the library shelves. And a special thank you to our tireless circulation volunteers, who empty the book return bins (you need a strong back for this job!) and sort our AV materials.
Want to get involved? Most of our volunteer opportunities are 2-3 hours per week. These positions include shelf reading, circulation bins, data entry, public greeters, phone coverage, internet trainers, and youth services storytime assistants. In addition, the Library Foundation often has opportunities for Interns/Work Study. We do accept volunteers for Community Service hours requirements and participate in the RSVP program. In addition the library participates in ongoing partnerships with Challenge Industries and Youth Employment Services.
We look for volunteers who can work independently, follow instructions, pay attention to detail, and be friendly and flexible. Prospective volunteers can fill out an application, available at the library front desk or on our website www.tcpl.org/volunteer.html If you have any questions about the volunteer program, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator, Jai Khalsa at jkhalsa@tcpl.org or 607-272-4557 x 226.
Volunteers are also needed at the Friends of the Library Booksale. Prospective volunteers should see their website http://www.booksale.org/ or call 272-2223 for more information.
If you live in outlying areas the Community Library Centers in Danby, Caroline & Lansing also utilize volunteers. Contact information for these centers can be obtained on the TCPL website.
Although we regret that we have no jobs involving elephants or shovels, volunteering at the library is a great way to get involved with the community, support your library, and provide practical and necessary help to the library. Thank you!
