ALBERT WISNER PUBLIC LIBRARY - Volunteer Policy

Definitions

  • A volunteer shall be considered any individual, 12 years or older, who assists without remuneration with work done at the Albert Wisner Public Library. Exceptions to the age requirement may be made by the Library Director.
  • A student volunteer shall be considered any middle school, high school or college student who performs volunteer work, without remuneration, as part of an authorized school program. Volunteers of school age who have no program requirements to meet are considered general volunteers.  Scouts working on advanced awards are also classified as student volunteers.
  • A court-ordered volunteer shall be considered any individual who has been sentenced to perform community service restitution by the legal system.

Statement of Purpose

The Albert Wisner Public Library shall use the services of volunteers to:

1.  Supplement the efforts of paid library staff to provide quality public service.
2.  Serve as a method for encouraging citizens to become familiar with their library and the services being offered and to use their gifts and talents to support the library;
3.  Support fundraising activities.

The Albert Wisner Public Library shall make use of the services of interested volunteers to supplement and not replace the work done by library staff.

Recognition

Recognition is an important component of a volunteer program. The Library staff and Library Board will recognize volunteers individually and as a group.

The Albert Wisner Public Library does not provide any medical, health, accident or worker’s compensation benefits for any volunteer. Volunteers are not eligible to receive any worker’s compensation benefits for any injuries sustained while functioning as a volunteer.  Prior to volunteering, each volunteer will be required to submit a Volunteer Application form for volunteer work, and visit with a Library staff member. Upon approval of the staff, the volunteer may be scheduled for work assignments. All volunteers will receive a copy of the Volunteer Policy with their application.  Friends of the Library need not fill out an application unless volunteering to do work at the Library other than as part of Friends activities.

Volunteers may be asked to work on projects that are supportive of Library staff efforts. Examples include:  shelving books, cleaning, processing new materials, helping with programs, discarding materials, etc.  All volunteers will be supervised by a staff member.  Hours of volunteer service will be determined by the supervisory staff member working with the volunteer. Volunteers are expected to arrive at the library in time to begin work as scheduled or else to call the library if they will be absent. All volunteer work must be conducted within normal library hours. Exceptions may be made by the Library Director.

Recruitment and Supervision of Volunteers

Volunteers will be sought through a variety of methods (in-house publicity, volunteer organizations, etc.) to meet specific as well as general project needs. Recruitment will be on an as needed basis. Applicants will be reviewed for suitability and availability to complete work. There will be no formal evaluation process for volunteers.

Recruitment and Supervision of Student Volunteers

The Library will work only with student volunteers who live in the Albert Wisner Public Library district.  The Library will accept student volunteers only as needed.  Student volunteers must be supervised by Library staff.  Every effort will be made to accommodate a limited number of motivated students, but the Library recognizes that it cannot fulfill the need for community service for all area students.  Referrals to other organizations will be made when possible.  The Library has no obligation to accommodate student volunteers who have delayed starting their hours or have a rapidly approaching deadline.

Recruitment and Supervision of Court-Ordered Volunteers

Court-ordered volunteers must be referred to the Albert Wisner Public Library from the case worker, probation officer or a responsible adult (in the case of a minor.)  Individuals fulfilling community service for 1) any violent acts, crimes, assaults or threats, 2) theft, or 3) felonies or crimes that involve children are not eligible.  Requests for court-ordered volunteer service will only be met if the person is a resident of the Albert Wisner Public Library district. The Library will attempt to accommodate needs for this service, but cannot fulfill all requests that may be made. 

The Library must be given adequate time (at least 7 days) to process the application, screening and placement procedures. The Library has no obligation to accommodate court-ordered volunteers who have delayed starting their hours or who have a rapidly approaching deadline.

Court-ordered volunteers must be supervised by Library staff.  Court-ordered volunteers must be on time, actively engage in the tasks and call ahead if unable to meet the arranged commitments. Participants must come with the appropriate paperwork and be responsible for helping staff track their time. Court-ordered volunteers failing to fulfill their agreed-upon volunteer schedule will have their volunteer status cancelled.

Last updated:  May 12, 2015