Library Volunteers by Allison Renner

Library Volunteers by Allison Renner

Volunteers are one of the most overlooked and underused resources available to nonprofits and other organizations. This guide will help find willing volunteers in the community and utilize their skills in a way that benefits the volunteer as well as the organization. Overseeing volunteers can be a daunting task. On top of all of the other duties library staff are typically responsible for, creating a volunteer program from scratch can seem nearly impossible. The work doesn't stop once the program is created: volunteers have to be trained and retained; job duties have to be written, assessed, and refreshed; the benefits of the program need to be documented and weighed. While volunteer coordinator is easily a full-time job, it rarely is in the library or nonprofit world. Anything that can make volunteer management easier on library and nonprofit staff will benefit everyone involved. Library Volunteers: A Practical Guide for Librarians covers every aspect of volunteer programs, from creating, to recruiting, to retaining and keeping the opportunities fresh and appealing. It has information pertaining to elementary age, teenage, and adult volunteers, including innovative and unique volunteer positions that can be offered to them. The book covers both school and public library settings, but the information provided can be adapted slightly to benefit any organization that has a need for volunteer help. It looks beyond the scope of the library to include information on outreach and partnering with community organizations to provide volunteer opportunities to library patrons and volunteers on a broader scale. It is a complete handbook for library and nonprofit employees to use to solve any volunteer issue they might have.

Although this handy text spans only about 100 pages, it is a quick read for those wanting to get volunteers on board and a program started. . . this practical guide is an informative starting point for librarians tasked with launching or building volunteer programs. Readers may want to take notes or highlight sections related to their library type and potential volunteer group, as this book is a sensible reference for implementing sustainable policies. Public service librarians will benefit from ordering this text for their library’s professional development stacks. ATG Reviewer Rating: I need this in my library. * Against the Grain *
If your goal is to develop a volunteer program that enriches the lives of participants through engaging and impactful learning opportunities, then this guide is a must read. Allison Renner makes it clear that a meaningful program not only benefits the volunteers; it improves the lives of all community members. -- Ryan Moniz, Learning & Growth Librarian, Markham Public Library, Member, Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA), Board of Directors
It’s a rare book that both makes such a clear, compelling case for engaging teens and children and offers practical steps to make this goal a reality. Allison Renner hits it spot on. Get the book. Then, get started cultivating the next generation of library professionals, patrons, and informed champions through inspiring volunteer opportunities at your library or nonprofit. -- Tobi Johnson, President, Tobi Johnson & Associates LLC and founder of VolunteerPro and the Volunteer Management Progress Report

Allison Renner began volunteering as a child and has been amazed at the doors volunteering has opened for her. She volunteered with a non-profit organization, and her dedication led to creating their volunteer program from scratch. She volunteered at a library, which led to a position as the Teen Services Librarian of a large branch within the system. She volunteered as a blogger for YALSAblog, and after a year was appointed manager. Allison earned her master of library science from Texas Woman’s University. She is currently a MakerSpace Librarian at a Montessori school.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781538116913
ISBN 10	153811691X
Title	Library Volunteers
Author	Allison Renner
Series	Practical Guides For Librarians
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Year published	2019-04-20
Number of pages	118
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.