Volunteers: We’ve Got a Role for You

by Joanna Stensland, Library Volunteer Coordinator

Maybe the recent chilly temperatures have left you with a case of late-winter cabin fever. We just might have the perfect antidote: consider volunteering a few hours of your time each week for the Library.

If you’d like to learn what volunteer opportunities currently exist, we’ve made it easy to explore the options. Check out: estesvalleylibrary.org/volunteer.

Currently, there are three volunteer openings posted, each offering the potential for a sense of satisfaction as you work with a great team of staff and fellow volunteers: Program volunteer; ELL tutor; and Bookstore cashier.

Do you enjoy the learning and social interaction that comes with attending Library programs? You might enjoy being a greeter at Library programs and helping us with set-up. Or maybe you’d like to assist with crafting, sewing, or technology tasks at our maker-themed programs for all ages.

The Library also works with a great team of volunteer tutors who support the “Uno-a-Uno” English Language Learning program. These volunteers have inspiring stories of how they’ve been able to help others to better their lives through literacy.

The need for more tutors is great: we have eager learners who are waiting to be paired with a tutor. We provide all the training and curriculum. And you don’t need to be bilingual.

You’ve probably heard that the Library Friends & Foundation will be opening a used bookstore this spring. Library book sales have been coordinated for decades by volunteers, who sort the thousands of books, CDs and DVDs that are donated, making it easy for shoppers to find their favorite subjects.

There are now openings for Bookstore Cashiers, with that job posting under the Friends & Foundation link at our website. While the used bookstore won’t open until April, volunteers will begin training in March on the new inventory system.

If any of these current openings appeal to you, visit estesvalleylibrary.org/volunteer to fill out an application.

Joining our team will land you in some really good company. More than 200 volunteers donate their time and talent to the Library each year. Over 8000 combined hours were given in 2018. That’s the equivalent of nearly four full-time employees.

Importantly, Library volunteers tell us they find much gratification in the work they do. They enjoy working in roles that directly improve the quality of life of the community in which they live. And they enjoy the opportunity to work with others who are equally enthusiastic about this important work.

Thank you to all our volunteers: past, present and future.