by Jane Hartney, LTA and Sarah Joynt, MLIS
Jane Hartney is the Teen Programming Coordinator at Indian Prairie Public Library and has run the VolunTEEN program since 2002.
Sarah Joynt, Senior Youth Services Librarian, received her Master of Library and Information Sciences degree from the University of Pittsburgh, and has assisted running the VolunTEEN program at Indian Prairie since 2007.
Indian Prairie Public Library (IPPL) http://www.indianprairielibrary.org is a district library serving the communities of Willowbrook, Darien and surrounding unincorporated areas. For the past fourteen years, we have had an active summer teen volunteer program (VolunTEENs), which in 2009 included 135 teens who completed 1,999.5 hours of service from May to August.
Teen volunteer programs have benefits for both the library and the teens. Summer is our busiest time of the year, and VolunTEENs provided an additional 6.6 FTE to our workforce last summer alone! We truly could not run our Summer Reading Club (SRC) with over 2,000 participants without VolunTEENs. In addition to the obvious benefit of freeing up staff time registering families for the SRC or preparing craft materials for programs, another benefit for the entire library is enhancing community relations. Schools, faith-based groups, scouts and other service organizations all require community service hours. When you provide service opportunities for their teens, they may be interested in learning about other programs and opportunities the Library can provide for them too!
Young teens benefit from the community service and a positive introduction to the work environment before they are able to get a paid job. Teens with an established history of community service will make stronger leaders and fulfill scholarship and National Honor Society requirements. Volunteering also gives teens the chance to make new friends and to see the Library as a fun place where they make a difference!
Although many libraries find VolunTEENs and the SRC to be the most natural fit, year-round VolunTEEN programs can also be successful. Before beginning a VolunTEEN program at your library, there are several things to consider:
Because of the size of IPPL’s VolunTEEN program, it is necessary to have two staff members coordinate schedules and oversee day-to-day operations. We accept VolunTEENs entering grades 7-12 who attend a school in our district and are able to commit to working at least 10 hours (five 2-hour shifts) during the SRC. In addition, teens must be able to attend one orientation/training session.
Teens fill out an application starting May 1. (http://www.indianprairielibrary.org/images/stories/teen_links/VolunTEEN/regdeskapp.pdf) We find it easier to have one application for each job type (SRC Registration, Program Assistants, Chess Tutors and Book Buddies). Teens indicate their schedule preferences and which orientation session they will attend on the application.
At the orientation session, we cover general guidelines for behavior and dress code, job-specific training and schedules. Before leaving orientation, teens receive a handbook (http://www.indianprairielibrary.org/images/stories/teen_links/VolunTEEN/VTeen%20Handbook.pdf) to take home and a schedule for the entire summer. We find it easiest to keep track of the VolunTEEN schedule (http://www.indianprairielibrary.org/images/stories/teen_links/VolunTEEN/VTeen%20Schedule%202008.xls) in an Excel spreadsheet, using one worksheet for each day of the week.
Throughout the summer, teens keep track of their own hours on a timesheet (http://www.indianprairielibrary.org/images/stories/teen_links/VolunTEEN/VT_Timesheet.pdf), and must let us know in advance if they are unable to make their scheduled shift. Teens who complete the required 10 service hours are invited to an after-hours pizza and gaming party at the end of the SRC. We typically have about 90% of our VolunTEENs who complete this requirement, and about 50% attend the party.
We know our program is successful when we see the same teens returning to volunteer year after year, taking on leadership roles within our Teen Advisory Board, or moving into paid Page positions in the department. With a bit of planning and organization, it’s possible to run a successful VolunTEEN program with immediate and long-term benefits for the Library and teens alike!
Please contact Sarah Joynt (joynts@indianprairielibrary.org) or Jane Hartney (hartneyj@indianprairielibrary.org) with questions about this article.
Published April 7, 2010 in vol. 4, iss. 7 [View]
