If you were to ask people why they volunteer at the library, many may spout the lofty ideal you hope for, but it is often much more prosaic. It is a person who was laid off and wants something to do while looking for another job. It is a teenager who needs volunteer hours for a school club. It is a retiree who wants a reason to get up in the morning. It is a widower who has one day a week where he can see and talk to people and feel of value to someone again. The library provides these volunteers with direct benefits that make their lives better. Don’t take this lightly. This is just as important as the benefit someone receives from attending a more traditional library program like a book discussion, storytime, or cultural program. People need to be needed.

Each volunteer can bring a special gift to the library. Sometimes people are perfectly happy to sanitize storytime toys or put books in order because the rest of their week is busy and loud. Sometimes they make it their personal mission to keep romance books in order so everyone can find what they want quickly. You may be lucky enough to be the recipient of a retired school librarian who can pitch in reading stories or helping with summer reading when your children’s staff is spread thin. Sometimes volunteers are special needs people from the community who find that their abilities mesh well with some of the activities of the library. Sometimes volunteers are leading programs or providing to the library their expertise from years of work.

This is truly a gift. People who spent years in data entry or finance become the volunteers who spend hours on the library’s digitization project or tirelessly look for grant opportunities. Retirees can often be the best volunteers. Just because they stopped working every day doesn’t mean they don’t want to use the knowledge they had from many years on the job. Teenagers who start volunteering because they need service hours for something can frequently become the potential pool of job applicants for entry level jobs like paging. What a gift to know about a person’s work ethic and temperament before the hiring process begins.

Library volunteers are truly a gift. Treat them well and they are the best ambassadors the library could ever have. Just as library administration will talk with the staff about new programs or initiatives to gain buy-in and understanding from the staff, it is advisable to do something similar with volunteers. It isn’t necessary that they are privy to all the information a paid staff member would get, but if you are making a major change at the library, tell them about it before it happens. If they understand and buy into what is happening, they can be your most effective representatives in the community. Oftentimes people will give them more credence than paid staff because volunteers are choosing to be at the library. They can address misunderstandings or misapprehensions with correct information or simply provide the name of someone a concerned community member can talk to. When a library volunteer can say, “I don’t know the answer to your question, but Sally at the library who is there when I volunteer can help you out. Why don’t you come when I’m there and I can introduce you?” That is a powerful message to your community.

Remember: what you give to the volunteers is just as important as what they give to you. Respect and appreciation for what they do goes a long way. You may never know what positive impact you have on your library volunteers, but they will definitely have a positive impact on you and your library.

The post The Benefits of Volunteers first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Previous summer volunteer programs at the library gave teens few options in volunteering. The main focus was on staffing the summer reading table in the children’s department, with some time given to shelving or helping in the library’s drive-through window. The Traditionalists squad takes care of these responsibilities, but teens can also opt into a squad that lets them flex their creative and teaching muscles.^[2]

This summer’s other squads included Book Buds, which helped young kids with reading; Peewee Pollocks, which worked on art projects with two- to three-year-olds; STEM Squad, which provided STEM education to three- to five-year-olds; Kids Create, which worked on crafts with grade-school-aged kids; <code>breakers, which built a website to teach coding to all ages; and Sprout Squad, which tended a garden in the park district and presented at a local farmers market.^[3]

Each squad requires two staff members to lead the teen volunteers, so squad availability changes each summer based on staff availability. Youth Services staff run many of the squads, but staff from Digital Services ran the <code>breakers squad this summer, and previously, staff from the Genealogy Department have run a genealogy squad.^[4]

Together, the staff supervised 232 teens this summer, all of whom were required to apply online and come to the library for an interview. “This gives us an opportunity to make sure they understand what they are getting themselves into and that the squads they chose are really what they want,” said Lynne Priest, grade school programming specialist at Arlington Heights Memorial Library and coordinator of the Summer Volunteer Squad.^[5] All volunteers are accepted. Most volunteers join the Traditionalists and work the full ten-week summer. Each specialized squad has ten to twelve volunteers and runs for eight weeks. During the school year, students can volunteer through the library’s advisory boards for teens and tweens.^[6]  Scheduling for the program is handled by Volgistics, a paid volunteer logistics service, which allows teens to sign up for and cancel their volunteer time slots online and squad staff to set the number of hours their volunteers can work.^[7]

For libraries looking to start a similar program, Priest says to get a feel for the community first and make sure that the kids are there and interested in helping. “The kids that come in can’t wait to work with little kids and help out,” Priest said.^[8]

References

[1] Lynne Priest, Summer Volunteer Squad coordinator, in an e-mail interview with the author, July 27, 2016.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Lynne Priest, Summer Volunteer Squad coordinator, in a phone interview with the author, July 28, 2016.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Lynne Priest in an e-mail interview with the author, July 27, 2016.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Lynne Priest in a phone interview with the author, July 28, 2016.

[8] Ibid.

The post Summer Volunteer Squad Offers Creative Options first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Originally published in Mar/Apr 2016, PUBLIC  LIBRARIES,  VOLUME 55, NUMBER 2.

Jessica is currently reading The BFG by Roald Dahl and A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson. Christina is currently reading The Third Wave: A Volunteer Story by Alison Thompson and Just Being Audrey by Margaret Cardillo.

For public service staff, summers at the library are both exhilarating and exhausting. The increased demand for library services coupled with the excitement of the summer reading program are a welcome reassurance that libraries are still active hubs for literacy, lifelong learning, and community connections. However, with limited staffing budgets, libraries find their staffs stretched thinner than ever during the busy summer seasons.

In summer 2014, the Cedar Rapids (IA) Public Library (CRPL) an­ticipated this stretch of staffing resources more acutely than ever before. That May, CRPL was operating 94,000 more square feet than the previous summer after reopening its main facility follow­ing a devastating flood in 2008. Having also opened a full-service branch on the growing west side of the city, the library doubled its operational hours to two 68-hour facilities. With the addition of only thirty-five new part-time employees totaling 665 staffing hours, the library needed to implement a new staffing model to meet the demands of the library’s first summer in its new home.

Two new sources of human capital were developed to supple­ment the library’s traditional staff: (1) seasonal employees (seasonals) and (2) volunteers. Goals for the new staffing model were to alleviate the burden on staff, enhance the organization’s capacity to connect with the community, and expand outreach opportunities.

The following outlines how the library identified seasonal and volunteer roles, developed hiring and training processes, engaged community volunteers in new programs, and provided existing staff with training to facilitate a smooth adoption of the new staffing model.

Incorporate Seasonals: The Right Dose of Help at the Right Time

The specific purpose for the development of the temporary seasonal position was to decrease excessive demands on public service staff and provide additional programming support during the busy summer season. By working openly with the library’s union steward, library management was able to facilitate a shared understanding that these temporary roles would provide better fiscal solvency to protect funding for traditional, year-round library positions. The union steward also helped library management address limitations on tasks that the union felt would not be acceptable for seasonals to perform. This collabora­tive process expedited the implementation of seasonals while preventing grievances and adhering to the spirit of the union contract.

Two seasonals and a volunteer work alongside two traditional staff members to assist customers at CPRL’s summer reading kickoff party in May 2015. Seasonals and volunteers provided approximately 20 percent of the library workforce each week in the summer of 2015. (Photo by Cedqar Rapids Public Library)

Figure 1. Using the week of June 14-20, 2015 as an example, the chart below shows the number of hours worked and percent of the total workforce hours by CSAs, shelvers, seasonals, and volunteers at CPRL.

As a department within the City of Cedar Rapids’ local govern­ment, CRPL utilized a similar seasonal employee structure as their peers in the parks and recreation department. The positions were hourly, non-benefited roles and were not included in the library’s union. In 2015, the cost per hour for a seasonal employee was $8.25. The average cost of a traditional public service employee was $23.46 per hour (the cost of a full-time, benefited customer service associate (CSA) averaged with a part-time, non-benefited shelver). From a cost-savings perspective, this saved the library more than $43,800 in staffing expenses in the summer of 2015.

Determine Library Needs with Staff Input

Staff from all departments conducted a needs assessment to determine which summer-based tasks would benefit from additional seasonal assistance. This process of identifying library needs was critical in establishing staff support for working with the new seasonal staff.

Staff identified such core work compo­nents as helping with library events and programs; staffing the summer reading registration desk; providing logistical assistance and supervision to external customers utilizing library spaces (e.g., weddings, graduation parties, fund­raisers); assisting staff with outreach programs; shelving media and children’s materials; providing general customer assistance such as giving directional infor­mation, helping customers use the self-check stations, and assisting customers with basic catalogue searches. Seasonals did not have access to the library’s ILS system. This limitation helped allay staff concerns about customer confidentially and data integrity.

In year one, the library hired five sea­sonals that could work up to forty hours per week. At the end of the summer, it was determined that the library had too many seasonal positions and most were not working the full forty-hour schedule. In the following year, the library reduced the number of seasonal positions to four. All seasonals worked nearly full-time over the course of the summer. Adapting the hours of seasonals on a summer-by-summer basis—and even a weekly basis within the course of the summer—provided the li­brary with a level of flexibility that was not easily managed through a more traditional staffing model in a unionized environment.

Consider Employee Traits, Timelines, and Training for Successful Onboarding

Key characteristics sought in applicants included schedule flexibility, ability to adapt to a wide variety of duties, and personal initiative. The library has had considerable success hiring seasonals that work within a school system during the academic year. These seasonals quickly and capably related to all age groups and worked exceptionally well with youth. They also successfully worked indepen­dently, freeing up staff for other work and minimizing the need for constant supervision. Mature teens and collegiate students on summer break have also been reliable, hardworking seasonals.

Seasonal positions were posted with an “open until filled” end date. This al­lowed the library to continue to gather applicants after positions had been filled—a tactic that proved useful in year one when a seasonal left employment early in the summer and the library was able to quickly backfill the position from a pool of applicants.

The hiring timeline included a two-week training period for orientation and training as well as hands-on learning. Acknowledging that the library learn­ing curve is steep and that working with the public creates many unexpected scenarios, training focused on educating seasonals on how to access resources when challenges presented themselves: asking fellow staff members or referenc­ing manuals, posters, or cheat sheets. Trainers encouraged seasonals to seek support, thus alleviating concerns that they had to “know it all” for a temporary role with a limited training period.

Engage Volunteers: Community Partners with Purpose

For some libraries, incorporating commu­nity volunteers into their summer reading program might be standard practice. For CRPL in 2014, however, this represented a cultural revolution and a seismic opera­tional shift.

After a twenty-year hiatus, the library’s volunteer program was launched in the spring of 2013. In its first year, the volunteer program successfully brought on more than 180 volunteers in many different operational roles. Staff quickly embraced volunteers stuffing summer reading prize envelopes and counting heads at programs, but concerns were still prevalent that volunteers shouldn’t provide direct customer service.

In the summer of 2014, the library began partnering with community vol­unteers to provide customer service in support of the library’s summer reading program. These new volunteer roles have focused on three areas: program promo­tion, the summer reading registration table, and summer meals outreach.

Volunteers Promote Summer Reading in Schools

A common concern at CRPL was the lack of resources to promote the library’s sum­mer reading program in schools. Recog­nizing staffing limitations and opting to approach the challenge from a different angle, the library responded to the need by tapping into short-term, project-based volunteers.

Volunteers promote the library’s summer reading program at an elementary school. Volunteers presented information about the library to over 3,900 students as part of Day of Caring in May 2015. (Photo by Cedar Rapids Public Library)

The catalyst for the project was the community’s existing United Way Day of Caring, an annual event that connects local corporate employee volunteers to nonprofit agencies in one-day service projects. Through Day of Caring, the library recruited and trained corporate volunteers to present a short skit and deliver summer reading promotional materials to area schools. In May 2015, twenty-four volunteers visited more than 3,900 students in eleven schools. Since its inception in 2013, the Day of Caring summer reading outreach project has made it possible for the library to promote its summer reading program to more than 9,000 students in a fun, interactive way.

Volunteers Lead the Summer Reading Registration Table

Historically, the summer reading regis­tration table was staffed entirely by paid library employees. In the summer of 2014, volunteers covered the desk a total of 181 hours each week. This translated into a savings of more than $4,600 per week compared to the prior year (based on the cost of a full-time, benefited CSA averaged with a part-time, non-benefited CSA). Additionally, this allowed the library to reallocate these highly trained staff members to provide more customer service in other areas. This transforma­tional shift in the library’s staffing model was made possible due to three main ar­eas of support: (1) partnerships, (2) effec­tive volunteer training, and (3) dedicated resources to volunteer management.

A volunteer registers customers for the 2015 summer reading program. (Photo by Cedar Rapds Public Library)

Cultivate Strategic Partnerships

In its first summer working with volun­teers CRPL developed partnerships with the Foster Grandparent Program and the AARP Senior Community Service Employ­ment Program to work with dedicated older adult volunteers. These volunteers were the foundation of the library’s new volunteer role at the summer reading registration table. They quickly demon­strated to staff that they were a reliable workforce, capable representatives of the library’s values, and passionate about engaging young readers. Culturally, these partnerships led the way to thoughtfully expanding volunteer roles in providing direct customer service.

Develop Effective Training

As a short-term, summer-only volunteer opportunity, the summer reading reg­istration table was an ideal fit for youth volunteers, educators on summer break, families looking to volunteer together, and collegiate students. However, given the short timeframe of the opportu­nity, the onboarding process for these volunteers had to be quick and efficient to maximize their gift of time and promptly meet the library’s immediate needs. Volunteers needed to understand the library’s overall philosophy in working with the community, the structure of the summer reading program, the basics of good customer service, how to trans­fer customers to staff, and how to use the technology required for the online summer reading program registration process.

The library utilized its existing bimonthly new volunteer orientation to provide volunteers with the basics of library operations, values, customer service skills, and team expectations. Additionally, staff developed training for the summer reading registration desk volunteer role that (1) outlined the pur­pose and structure of the summer reading program, (2) trained volunteers on how to register participants and update their reading progress, (3) provided hands-on practice sessions in the registration software with test-participant data, and (4) answered frequently asked questions from customers about the program. With several trainers and flexible staffing, train­ings were booked as frequently as needed and included multiple new volunteers per session. This made for a swift onboard­ing process for new volunteers during the busy summer schedule.

Invest Resources in Volunteer Management

Cultivating partnerships and onboard­ing new volunteers takes time. Since developing the volunteer program in 2013, CRPL has strategically dedicated resources to volunteer management in­cluding a full-time volunteer coordinator and a part-time administrative assistant. The return on this investment per week in the summer reading registration table volunteer role alone was 181 volunteer hours for fifty-nine staff hours in 2014.

Understandably not every library can staff a volunteer program to this level, but identifying a point person (staff or volun­teer) to cultivate community partnerships and manage the process of bringing on new volunteers will have a significant return on the time invested.

Volunteers Run Summer Meals Outreach Program

In addition to supporting the library’s tra­ditional summer programming, volunteers also made possible the launch of a new summer outreach program in 2015. In partnership with other local organizations hosting a free children’s lunch program, the library developed a pilot outreach pro­gram to take its resources to children with barriers to accessing the library.

Led by the library’s AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) member, five volunteers brought books and LeapPad tablets over a twelve-week period to a community center that served a free lunch to neighborhood children. More than 290 children received over 440 books donated by the Friends of the Cedar Rapids Public Library and used more than 4,350 minutes of tablet time at the off-site location.

A survey of children participating in the program reported that

• 52 percent did not have a library card;
• 88 percent were not registered for any summer reading program; and
• 81 percent did not participate in any other library programs outside of the summer meals outreach program.

Barriers existed on both sides of the equation for these children; they couldn’t get to the library and the library’s staffing limitations prevented the development of new outreach opportunities. Due to the expansion of library outreach by the VISTA member and the volunteers, these children were able to access many of the library’s resources in their own neighborhood with essentially no additional library costs.

Support Staff—Build on a Strong Foundation

Since opening two new facilities in 2013, the library had strategically realigned its staffing resources for more effective scheduling based on circulation statis­tics, door counts, program attendance, and computer usage statistics. Through automation and streamlined processes, the library had already implemented efficiencies to better balance task-based operational duties and provide active customer service. Many of these prior adaptations also led to the successful ad­dition of seasonals and volunteers.

Create a Flexible Staff with Cross Training

CSAs are the majority of the library’s public service staff. The CSA role is a generalist position and covers all library depart­ments and service desks, back of house duties, phone service, and programming at both locations. By cross training CSAs, the library developed a flexible pool of resources to accommodate shifting needs within all departments at each library. This allowed for more rotation during shifts which gave staff variety in their work day and opportunities to work both behind the scenes and with the public. The general­ized workforce fostered an inclusive, team-focused working environment that shared knowledge, resources, and job duties—a prime environment for incorporating new seasonal and volunteer roles.

Facilitate Consistent Training for New and Existing Staff

Over the course of three months in 2013, the library added thirty-five new em­ployees to its thirty-three existing public service employees. The experienced staff played a key role in designing and deliver­ing a robust training program. Addition­ally, trainings were developed for existing staff to accommodate new facilities and processes as well as reinforce consistent training across the organization.

In 2013, the library developed a new training program with several modules and training checklists. The trainings in­cluded a refresher on standard processes and procedures; an overview of core competency requirements; and messag­ing about the library’s mission, vision, and values. A variety of training methods were employed including self-guided reading, informal check-ins with trainers, formal training sessions, and hands-on practice.

A critical component of the trainings was the creation of staff experts known as mentors. These experts received in-depth training on targeted areas of library service including library card making, processing incomplete materials, meeting room reservations, and so forth. Mentors then led individualized trainings for new hires and refresher group trainings for ex­isting staff. This promoted staff leadership and created a team of experts that could assist new staff with unexpected ques­tions in real time on the service floor.

The consistent training model ensured that staff at all levels understood the library’s processes and culture, and enhanced a peer-supported atmosphere. In turn, volunteers and seasonals ben­efited from the staff’s overall uniformity in answering questions and modeling the organization’s culture.

Communicate New Roles and Responsibilities

As the library added seasonals and volun­teers to its traditional staffing structure, it was crucial to outline and communicate the roles and responsibilities of these new team members. Job descriptions and duties lists were developed and shared for each volunteer role and for the seasonal positions. Information about these new positions, along with a summary of the summer reading program and related events, were presented to staff in various trainings, meetings, and written com­munications. This set the stage for the new staff hired in the fall of 2013, many of whom had not worked at a library before nor experienced the crunch of a summer schedule at the library. These trainings also allowed staff to ask questions and gave library leaders the opportunity to address concerns.

In 2015, based on feedback from the previous year, library leadership used multiple means of communication to address any overarching questions from the first year of the new staffing model. Primarily, traditional staff questioned what volunteers and seasonals were to do during less busy times of their shifts. For seasonals, a poster outlining differ­ent tasks that could be completed during slower shifts was posted in staff areas. For volunteers, training was provided to both staff and volunteers that detailed what was and was not permissible at the summer reading registration desk when volunteers were not helping custom­ers. Explanations were given to help all parties understand why there were differences in expectations for volunteers versus for staff: length of service and shifts, cross-training limitations, primary focus of duties, and physical limitations. This clarification of volunteer roles and the reasoning behind them helped better communicate expectations and guide­lines to both volunteers and library staff.

Conclusion

Over years, the tremendous stretch of the library’s diminishing staffing resources during its busy summer season had resulted in an increased demand on per­sonnel. Since integrating volunteers and seasonals with the library’s skilled staff, CRPL has cultivated a better balance for staff during its peak season, thus empow­ering the entire workforce to stay more energized and evenly engaged through­out the year.

Library leadership has been transpar­ent with traditional staff that the intent of the new staffing model is to supplement its professional staff during the library’s summer season. While not a replacement for professionally trained and compen­sated staff, volunteers and seasonals are a creative and resourceful way to economi­cally and effectively provide additional assistance to staff and customers. The strategically aligned work of CRPL’s staff, seasonals, and volunteers has enhanced the organization’s ability to make connec­tions with the community and expanded library services to children with barriers to accessing its facilities.

The post FEATURE|Give Staff a Break this Summer first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Dr. Briony Birdi, a lecturer in librarianship at the Information School in Sheffield, England, was interviewed by BBC, and when it was suggested that public libraries are “dead in the water,” she wrote her own response: “Libraries aren’t over, they will just look different.”[3] And perhaps this will be the case. Public libraries in England are rolling out Wi-Fi for all their (remaining) libraries, as well as adding digital and e-lending options in order to stay up to date. They are trying to stay relevant in a society where the use of public computers and book checkouts is in decline.[4] But in the future, will the face of public libraries be a volunteer?

Volunteers are a part of the fabric of a public library, whether in the United Kingdom or in the United States, and help with necessities like administration, program assistance, and shelving, but Birdi points out that “some politicians and other commentators seem to forget that there is an important distinction between volunteers used to supplement an existing service, and volunteers either replacing the specialised roles of paid library staff, or working in ‘community-run’ libraries.”[5] There are success stories with running a community library, but as discussed in “Words With Jam,” it depends on very specific circumstances and affluence. Communities with disparity and poverty are not necessarily the right places to remove public libraries with the expectation that those communities will then run them themselves. Volunteering at a library requires time and commitment, and beyond that, a community-run library still requires money in order to function. Birdi also adds that people working in community-run libraries feel in competition with public libraries and don’t have access to the same level of resources and connections.[6]

Because of all these aspects, Birdi sees “an utter lack of consistency of provision across towns and cities.”[7]  Librarian Ian Anstice, who runs Public Libraries News, states that “[England’s] public library system used to be envy of the world. Now it is used as a cautionary tale that librarians use worldwide to scare their colleagues.”[8] He also states that what’s happening now with the addition of community-run libraries “atomises the public library system into various local clubs, run by people often without any training.”[9]

One thing is very clear with all these cuts: It is the underprivileged members of society that are really the victims. And perhaps Anstice is correct that American public libraries might indeed view what’s happening in England as a cautionary tale. But all’s not lost in England as Birdi concludes: “[P]ublic libraries haven’t disappeared yet – but if we stop talking about them…we’re not exactly contributing to a rosy future.”[10]

References

[1] “Libraries: The decline of a profession?” BBC, March 29, 2016.

[2] “Libraries lose a quarter of staff as hundreds close,” BBC, March 29, 2016.

[3] Briony Birdi, “Libraries aren’t ‘dead in the water’ – even if some have given up,” Conversation, March 30, 2016.

[4] “Libraries lose a quarter of staff as hundreds close,” BBC, March 29, 2016.

[5] Briony Birdi, “Libraries aren’t ‘dead in the water’ – even if some have given up,” Conversation, March 30, 2016.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ian Anstice, in “Libraries lose a quarter of staff as hundreds close,” BBC, March 29, 2016.

[9] Ian Anstice, in “Libraries: The decline of a profession?” BBC, March 29, 2016.

[10] Briony Birdi, “Public librarianship research is dead in the water – isn’t it?” Information School News (Sheffield), February 5, 2015.

Resources

Voices for the Library

Public Libraries News: Practicalities

Words with Jam: Who Do We Want Running Our Libraries?

The post Cuts Too Deep? England’s Public Libraries in Trouble first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

What Exactly Do They Do?
Here are a few examples of what volunteer coordinators do to help the library run smoothly:

Recruit volunteers. The most obvious job of the volunteer coordinator is also the most difficult. Not only do they have to find people who are willing to spend free time working for no pay on tasks that are often repetitive and possibly physically straining, but they also have to be able to read personalities well enough to match their recruits with the best-suited departments. This requires exceptional organization and people skills, as well as good communication with all of their coworkers to keep up with the needs of individual sections and branches.

Field volunteer requests. Related to recruiting, volunteer coordinators also exercise good judgement, tact, and multi-level scheduling to handle requests from other organizations who want to volunteer as groups or individuals who have to complete required volunteer hours for court or school. The coordinator must know how many hours a group or individual needs and whether there will be enough work for them to be truly useful by their deadline.

Organize orientations and celebrations. Volunteers need to know what they’re doing and that they’re appreciated when they do it. The volunteer coordinator handles both events, running orientations on a regular basis to make sure all volunteers can start with the necessary knowledge, throwing annual parties to make them feel appreciated, and presenting awards as individuals meet service milestones.

Regularly check and record progress. Tracking individual volunteers’ hours and their fit with their specific department takes exceptional organizational skills. The volunteer coordinator can tell at a glance who has passed a service goal, who needs to move to a different area, and how to diplomatically let them know when things aren’t working out.

Organize and track employee volunteer opportunities. Volunteer coordinators are also in charge of any volunteer opportunities sponsored by their employer for fellow employees. Along with advertising the information to coworkers, they connect with other volunteer coordinators at participating venues and keep track of any hours their colleagues might log. Volunteer coordinators are multi-faceted employees who juggle many different talents to merge the library and community in mutual help.

The post I’m Not Actually a Librarian: Volunteer Coordinator first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Deciding to hold a Mini Maker Faire was easy. PPLD was in the process of opening a new location, Library 21c, with a heavy focus on the maker movement, and already had strong maker programs throughout the district. Having partners for this endeavor was important. When looking at the community, the Colorado Springs Science Center, the Colorado Springs Science Festival, and the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Center for STEM Education seemed like natural fits to work with PPLD to bring a Mini Maker Faire to the area.[1]

Then, it was time to apply to Make for a Mini Maker Faire license. The application process requires quite a bit of information, including several short- answer questions, letters of support, and budgetary information. Once accepted, certain aspects of the Faire have to be handled in particular ways, like publicity being approved and specific websites being used. Carolyn Coulter, Information Technology Officer for PPLD, stated, “We felt that the branding and relationship with Make magazine was valuable to us, and we will continue that relationship in coming years.”[2]

At the beginning of planning, the team broke into sub teams to address various components of the Faire: funding, marketing, and programming. In the early stages, some of the items that had to be tackled included Faire website set up, Facebook profile development, marketing material creation, reaching out to makers in the area to attract participation, and maker fees. We also needed to come up with some criteria for vetting makers according to the goals for the event.

As we drew nearer to the day, marketing materials went out, including flyers, posters, and press releases. Members of the team attended events, like the Southern Colorado Manufacturing Expo, to tell people about the library’s Mini Maker Faire. The Faire was also publicized throughout the Colorado Springs Science Festival

Planning the building set-up was quite a task. Fortunately, several people involved with the planning had prior experience with large festivals. After the team walked the building, one of the PPLD staff, Sean Anglum, was able to create a map with all of the information on where we could set up tables, including power capabilities. Armed with this knowledge, we were able to assign the makers space according to their needs while also having a variety of activities spread throughout the building.

Volunteers were another big part of the day. Several high school students came to assist with set up, helping makers find their assigned table, and answering directional questions. To add to the festival atmosphere, we had food trucks in the parking lot and our café in the library provided snacks. Volunteers were given a credit that they could use to eat while helping with the event.

What were some of the cool things coming out of the Colorado Springs Mini Maker Faire? From Coulter’s perspective, “More partnerships and more visibility into what the library is doing and becoming. I felt a great deal of enthusiasm for this sort of programming and education at the Maker Faire, and people really seemed to be on board with our vision of continued growth at PPLD.”[3]

To see some of the highlights, check out our recap video.

Sources:

[1] Coulter, Carolyn, interview by Becca Cruz. Information Technology and Virtual Services Officer (January 9, 2014).

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

Cover Photo Credit: Science Gallery Dublin (CC BY-ND 2.0)

The post A Mini Maker Faire at the Library first appeared on Public Libraries Online.

Volunteers already make valuable contributions to public libraries.  They assist with story times and crafts, they are Friends of the Library, they run used book sales, they shelve books, and they work on local history projects and much, much more. Volunteers give generously of their time and expertise and help libraries serve their communities.

Tech savvy volunteers can teach computer and technology classes in a variety of scenarios.  They can assist a staff member during a session, or they can teach classes themselves.  One-on-one sessions by appointment may be ideal for some volunteers.  Another idea is providing a table for drop in eReader help that is staffed by volunteers.  You may have a need for more specialized computer help, such as assisting job seekers or genealogists or offering classes in other languages.  The possibilities are endless!

Recruit volunteers by advertising in your local paper, the library newsletter, website, and social media outlets, and signs in the library.  Ask for résumés or descriptions of their teaching and technology skills.  If a potential volunteer seems like a good fit, offer an interview so you can find out more about their experience and give them a chance to ask you questions about the opportunity.  Make sure the volunteer understands the expectations.  Computer classes and ongoing programs are often advertised and require registration so instructors need to commit to a schedule.  Volunteers, just like library staff, must understand the importance of maintaining a high level of customer service as well as exhibiting patience, tact, and a friendly attitude.

If you and the volunteer are ready to move forward, invite them to attend a computer class or two.  The potential volunteer can learn firsthand how classes are structured and the skill levels of the students.  Volunteers may be surprised to learn that many library patrons are beginning to learn how to handle a mouse or search the internet.

When you are satisfied the volunteer has the skill set to train your library patrons and the volunteer is ready to make a commitment, be sure to offer training.  Show where to check-in and gather class materials and how to manage the computer lab or set up laptops.  Give an orientation to the library, just as you would any new employee, so they can hang a coat, use the restroom, or get a glass of water.  Ensure that they know how to contact you or other staff members in case they have questions or need assistance.  You may also want to sit in on their first few classes, both to answer their questions and to observe their teaching style.

When you find the right volunteers, they will become a valuable part of your instructor team and the library.  Thank them for their contributions and show your appreciation!

More information about volunteer computer and technology instructors can be found on WebJunction.org and TechSoupForLibraries.org.

1)   OCLC. “How Libraries Stack Up: 2010.” Accessed February 8, 2013.  http://www.oclc.org/reports/stackup/default.htm

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