Success with library volunteers

Covering principles, practical guidelines, and best practices for establishing and operating a successful library volunteer program in any type of library, this is a must-have resource for the 21st-century librarian.

In these tough economic times, librarians must maximize the potential of their volunteer programs. This innovative guide not only provides readers with the practical information they need to recruit, manage, and retain effective volunteers, but also demonstrates how to create a dynamic volunteer program--one that offers purposeful work and emphasizes rewards rather than rules and forms. Illustrated by best practices, this book also offers practical guidelines for evaluating the success of a volunteer program--in terms of the library's benefit, and in terms of the experience from the volunteer's point of view.

• Illustrations p. xi
• Introduction p. xiii
• 1 The Basics p. 1
• Everybody's Doin' It p. 1
• What Is a Volunteer? p. 2
• The American Volunteer Legacy p. 3
• Volunteer Library Users p. 4
• Infrastructure Is Critical p. 6
• 2 Hidden Volunteers p. 9
• Volunteers Start Libraries p. 10
• Volunteers Govern Libraries p. 11
• Volunteers Find Funding for Libraries p. 13
• Volunteers Advocate for Libraries p. 16
• Volunteers Help Provide Cultural Diversity p. 17
• 3 Popular Types of Library Volunteers p. 23
• Volunteers Lend Experience to Collections p. 23
• Volunteers Provide Literacy Instruction p. 25
• Volunteers Provide Technology Instruction p. 26
• Volunteers Provide Life Help p. 26
• Volunteers Keep the Library Functioning p. 27
• Librarian Volunteers Help Other Librarians p. 28
• Volunteer Special Projects Help Change the Library's Future p. 28
• 4 Planning p. 33
• Practical Questions p. 33
• 1 Can You Define a Needed Volunteer Project in a Clear and Realistic Way? p. 34
• 2 What Time Commitment Docs the Project Require? p. 34
• 3 Is Volunteerism the Best Way to Deal with the Problem You Want lo Solve? The Least Bad Way? The Only Way? p. 34
• 4 What Kind of Volunteers Do You Need? p. 35
• 5 What Kind of Orientation and Training Will Volunteers Need? p. 35
• 6 What Is Your Potential Budget? If the Budget Is Tight or Nonexistent, What Changes or Cuts Will Be Made in Current Operations to Obtain the Project Budget? How Can You Raise Funds? p. 36
• 7 How Will You Connect the Library's Volunteer Program into the Other Parts of the Organization to Ensure Good Communication and Access to Resources? p. 36
• 8 What Skills and Attitudes Do You Want the Manager of Volunteers to Have? p. 36
• Management Decisions p. 37
• A Job Description for Each Type of Volunteer Task p. 37
• Recruitment: How Are Volunteers Recruited? p. 37
• Orientation and Training: What Orientation and Training Do Your Volunteers Receive? p. 37
• Retention: How Long Do Volunteers Stay? Do You Want Them to Stay Longer or Shorter? p. 38
• Benefits: What Benefits Do Volunteers Get? p. 38
• Benefits: What Does the Library Get? p. 38
• Exercise Caution in Volunteer Assignment p. 39
• Conflict of Interest p. 40
• Volunteer Position Descriptions p. 40
• Leadership for the Volunteer Program p. 41
• Performance Appraisal p. 43
• Staff and Volunteers p. 44
• Staff Training p. 45
• Community Help with Managing Volunteers p. 47
• Community Agencies p. 47
• Other Libraries p. 47
• Your Own Staff and Volunteers p. 47
• 5 Recruitment, Retention, and Recognition p. 51
• Motivations for Volunteering p. 51
• Deterrents to Volunteering p. 53
• Volunteering as an Exchange p. 53
• Recruitment Demographics p. 54
• Where to Recruit p. 55
• Expand the Prospective Volunteer Pool p. 57
• Online Volunteer Recruitment p. 57
• Online Volunteer Sites p. 58
• Recruitment with and from Partners p. 59
• Who Not to Recruit p. 60
• Application Content p. 61
• Volunteer Turnover and Retention p. 62
• "Right"-Sizing the Commitments of Volunteers p. 63
• Special Emphasis on Communication p. 63
• Volunteer Recognition p. 65
• 6 Evaluating Your Volunteer Program p. 69
• Calculating the Costs and Benefits of Volunteers p. 69
• Costs of Volunteer Supervision-Some Ratios p. 70
• Library Outcome Planning and Evaluation p. 73
• Finding Evidence That Your Volunteer Program Is Successful p. 74
• Measuring Volunteer Program Impact p. 75
• Using Evaluation Results p. 77
• Reporting Outcomes p. 78
• Assessing Individual Volunteers p. 79
• Problem Volunteers p. 80
• 7 Volunteers That Require Special Attention p. 83
• Friends of the Library p. 83
• Benefits p. 83
• Friends and Foundations p. 84
• What Do Friends Groups Do? p. 84
• Concerns p. 85
• How to Help Friends Help the Library p. 86
• Youth Volunteers p. 86
• Benefits p. 87
• Who Are Youth Volunteers? p. 87
• What Do Youth Volunteers Do? p. 88
• Concerns p. 88
• How to Run a Successful Youth Volunteer Program p. 89
• Persons with Disabilities p. 90
• Partnership Volunteers p. 91
• Benefits of Volunteer Partnerships p. 91
• What Kinds of Partnership Volunteers Are There? p. 92
• Concerns p. 93
• How to Organize a Successful Volunteer Partnership p. 93
• 8 Volunteer Management Information Systems p. 97
• Rationale for a VMIS p. 97
• Some VMIS Options p. 98
• Volgistics (Volunteer Logistics) p. 98
• VolunteerHub p. 99
• CERVIS p. 99
• Capterra.com p. 99
• Choosing the Information You Need: KCLS Selection List p. 100
• Data p. 100
• Automated Functionality p. 101
• Scheduling p. 101
• Timekeeping p. 101
• Reports p. 102
• Communication p. 102
• Recruiting p. 102
• Volunteer Access p. 102
• Support p. 103
• Data Conversion p. 103
• Training p. 103
• Choosing the Information You Need: What KCLS Chose to Use p. 103
• Noncommercial Record-Keeping Choices p. 104
• Conclusion p. 104
• 9 The Future of Library Volunteerism p. 107
• Different Futures: Librarians, Libraries and Volunteers p. 107
• Librarians Use Volunteers as an Adaptation Mechanism p. 110
• Volunteers as Information Providers p. 110
• Where Volunteers Fit in Changing Libraries p. 112
• Uncertain Volunteer Use p. 113
• Emerging Issues p. 114
• Libraries Face Decreasing Funding and Higher Costs p. 114
• Education and Experience for Successful Librarianship Will Become More Specialized p. 114
• Libraries Offer Experiences in the Library p. 115
• The Library as a Place for Escape from a Chaotic World p. 115
• Digitization Offers another Challenge p. 115
• The Future of Library Volunteerism p. 115
• Virtual Volunteerism p. 116
• Short-Term Volunteerism Will Continue to Grow to Match Rising Short-Term Employment p. 117
• More Pressure to Create Internships-i.e., More Formal Job Training p. 118
• Pressure on Libraries to Export Their Job Training Away from Their Buildings p. 118
• Volunteer Managers Will Get More Professional, and Certification Will Increase p. 118
• Volunteers Will Be Pressed into Service as Volunteer Trainers p. 119
• More Specialized Jobs Will Be Done by Volunteers p. 119
• Volunteer Cadres Will Be Formed around Information Consultant Librarians p. 119
• When More Libraries Close, Volunteers Will Move to Operate Many of Them p. 119
• Volunteerism Is a Way That Libraries Can Add Value to Their Measured Outcomes p. 120
• A Concluding Word about Library Volunteerism p. 120
• Appendix: A Success Model: Integrating a Volunteer Program into the King County Library p. 123
• KCLS' Analysis of Its Volunteer Problems p. 123
• Decision to Survey Staff and Results p. 124
• Planning Changes in the Volunteer Program p. 125
• Management p. 126
• Communication p. 126
• Recruitment p. 126
• Training p. 127
• A Volunteer Program Mission Statement: What Should It Say and Why? p. 127
• KCLS Historical Overview of the Volunteer Program p. 128
• Analysis Based on Research of the Volunteer Coordination Project Committee p. 129
• Recommendations for Changes in the Volunteer Program p. 131
• Staff Changes p. 131
• Internal Culture p. 131
• Staff Tools p. 132
• Volunteer Experience p. 132
• Building Administrative Capacity: Volunteer Project Coordinator p. 133
• Building Administrative Capacity: Cluster Volunteer Services Liaison p. 135
• Volunteer Services Policy (VSP) p. 138
• Statement of Policy p. 138
• Affirmative Action Recruitment Pledge p. 139
• Criminal History Check p. 140
• Minors as Volunteers p. 140
• Court-Ordered Volunteers p. 141
• Expectations of Volunteers p. 141
• Volunteer Services Guidelines p. 142
• Supervision and Scheduling p. 143
• Hours and Record Keeping p. 144
• Recognition p. 144
• Oversight and Communication p. 144
• Volunteer Recruitment Procedures p. 145
• Procedures p. 145
• Volunteer Applications p. 146
• Selection Process p. 147
• Definitions p. 148
• KCLS Current Volunteer Programs p. 148
• Index p. 151