[Publib] Re: Library volunteer program tips

[Robin K. Blum]

Friends and volunteers are one of the greatest resources a library can have.
Good friends who stay on the job and can be counted on are even better. 

Remember that it's not always easy being a volunteer.  They could be
spending their time watching soap operas or babysitting for their
grandchildren.  They want to be thanked, they want to feel a part of a team
effort and they want to be respected for their work, even if it is unpaid or
occasional.

What I'm saying is...show your appreciation.  Make them feel like important
members of the library community.

Robin K. Blum
www.inmybook.com 


Message: 6
Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:37:34 -0600
From: April Szuch <szuchalibrarian at gmail.com>
Subject: [Publib] Library volunteer program tips
To: publib at webjunction.org
Message-ID:
	<156b7c5b0907151737w364750f4r325825dbf730df10 at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

I recently started working as a librarian and have been charged with the
task of revising our volunteer program. We already have a reliable core of
volunteers who shelve, repair books, call patrons about holds, etc. We would
like to also use volunteers as community advocates, building support and
increasing library patronage. Has anyone else approached this directly or
gotten into it by chance? I've been scouring library and volunteer websites
and have found a wealth of information, but nothing quite on this topic.

Any other pointers on running a volunteer program would be appreciated as
well.

By the way, I am enjoying the many useful and obscure topics discussed via
publib. Librarianship seems better by the day. We'll see how I feel once I
start grad school next month.

Thanks!

-- 
April Szuch
Assistant Reference Librarian
Natrona County Public Library
Casper, WY
www.natronacountylibrary.org