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.

About the Author
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.

Reviews
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



Book Information
ISBN 9781538116913
Author Allison Renner
Format Paperback
Page Count 118
Imprint Rowman & Littlefield
Publisher Rowman & Littlefield
Weight(grams) 327g
Dimensions(mm) 271mm * 212mm * 8mm