VOLUNTEERS ALL YEAR Don’t Cry, It’s Not So Bad

VOLUNTEERS ALL YEAR Much better.

All Documents are on Google Drive   Log into your account.  Click Add to Drive in top right corner.  Now it will be there whenever you need it!

Some Background  These programs were developed while working at the Old Bridge Public Library.  Lynn Mazur of the Bridgewater Public Library climbed the steepest mountain: she created the Year Round Volunteer Program for Old Bridge.  Over the years I have made adjustments to the program, as will always be necessary.  I have continued to adjust the program to suit the needs of the Cape May County Library.  This at least explains why the documents have different library names on them.

3 Forms of Volunteering 4 if you count Summer Reading  Book Buddies  Teens & Kids are paired up, kid reads to Teen.  Happens for two months, a few times a year.  Teen Community Service Group  1 meeting a month, 3 or 4 projects a month.  Teens come to whatever fits their schedule.  More participation gets teens membership levels, which boost resumes. Also includes leadership opportunities.  Year Round Volunteer Program  Teens go through orientation, then can sign up for a job.  More strict, has point system.  Happens all year, teens can work continuously for 5 years.

Let’s Talk About the BIG Program (Year Round Volunteering)  Step 1: Teen Signs Up for Orientation  Orientation covers procedures and expectations.  Teens feel better knowing what’s expected.  Teens who don’t want to be in a strict program do not sign up for a job.  Step 2: After Orientation Teen Signs Up for a Job  Available jobs are posted on Teen Volunteer Board.  Teens can change jobs, alter hours, and end jobs whenever they want unless otherwise noted in job description.

 Jobs are kept super basic. The teens are not getting paid, so we do not want them having to answer patron questions or do anything else that is not simple and straight forward.  I am very strict with timesheets and the program in general so teens can use their volunteer hours in as many places as possible, even for police departments. I mention the strictness of the program in letters of recommendation. Let’s Talk About the BIG Program (Year Round Volunteering)

 Timesheets  Volunteers have to use the official time clock, which is set to time.gov. This avoids discrepancies and whining.  All sign ins and sign outs must be initialed by a librarian.  Jobs are always written – this way they can do multiple jobs, summer reading volunteering, Book Buddies, and the community service group, and you’ll still be able to keep their schedule straight.  All active points from the Point System are kept where the teen can see them, as are all call outs. No mystery, less confusion.  All issues are written out for teen to see and so you can rebuke parental complaints.  Timesheets are retired after 3 months and recorded in an excel sheet. This gives teens a clean slate, clears out the binder, and makes adding up volunteer time much easier. Let’s Talk About the BIG Program (Year Round Volunteering)

Easy, Right? Now on my end…  This is a lot of organization and inputting info.  The more teens you have, the more time it will take.  Teens will slowly roll into your program, you can cap them when you feel you are reaching capacity.  Remember to take job overlap into consideration. Is it legal to have volunteers shelve at your library if you have shelvers? Ask your director.

What Will You Need?  Humans  Your director & supervisor will need to give you full support. They will need to approve all rules and strictures. They will be your support when you inevitably have angry parents.  A group of staff who will sign volunteers up for orientations and jobs, supervise volunteers, be on hand to sign timesheets, and be able to answer volunteer questions. Do a staff training session. They need to understand NO leeway, NO favoritism. Make sure ALL library staff know where to send questions.

What Will You Need?  Time  Give yourself 3 months from when you start advertising and working on the program to when your first orientation will be.  Don’t stress if teens don’t flood the program, they’ll come when they need it.  Organization  Embrace the bureaucracy. I have given you many forms and spreadsheets, but they are helpful.  Forms, forms, forms. Have it ALL written down. You will not remember details in a month.  Organization keeps large programs running smoothly.

What Will You Need?  Answer These Questions  What staff can I trust to help?  What jobs do I need done?  What age range do I want to include? Consider the fact that 18 year olds are in High School, but are technically adults.  When can volunteers work? Consider your staff’s schedules as well as teens’ schedules. You can demand times from teens, give them a list of choices, or leave it open for them to choose a time.  Are you a multi-branch system? Where can volunteers work? Any branch? Just one? A mix of branches at once?

What Will You Need?  Central Locations  A single place for teens to go to find out about volunteering at the library. I used the Teen Volunteer Board for this.  A place for volunteers to go to sign in and out – preferably at a customer service desk since they will always need to get staff initials.

What Will You Need?  Look at these documents on the Google Drive first.  General Volunteering Information General Volunteering Information  Materials Needed for Your Round Volunteer Program Materials Needed for Your Round Volunteer Program  Volunteer Orientation Packet Volunteer Orientation Packet  FAQ for Parents FAQ for Parents  Volunteer Timesheet Volunteer Timesheet  Instructions for Librarians Instructions for Librarians  Feel free to download ALL of the documents and alter them to best fit your library.

General Rules  Be strict but fair.  Don’t play favorites.  Be patient.  Explain in detail – make no assumptions about what they will know.  Remember that this is almost always a teen’s first job. You are preparing them for the working world – these rules will help them know how to succeed in the future.

Mary Ecklund   Cape May County Library  Teen & Polaris Librarian 