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Sign up for our monthly email alertsTeen Volunteer Services in Libraries
Series: VOYA Guides #1
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SUBJECTS
Reference » Health & Science
Library & Information Science » Children's & Young Adult Services
Children's & Young Adult Services » Collection Development
Health & Science
Library & Information Science » Ideas & Activities
Children's & Young Adult Services » Children's & Young Adult Services (General)
Children's & Young Adult Services » Teacher Resources
Library & Information Science » Library Management
REVIEWS
"If you are even considering starting a teen volunteer program, you must read this book....A perfect choice for volunteer coordinators, directors, and youth librarians."
— SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
DESCRIPTION
Today's teens are aware of the many benefits of volunteering, and their reasons for wanting to volunteer are as varied as they are. Some gather work experience for future jobs; some look ahead to college and scholarship applications. Some must fulfill schools' community service requirements; some wish to contribute to their communities. Other teens just want something to do in their free time. Whatever the reason, libraries can provide many volunteer opportunities to help young adults gain valuable experience as they enter a new stage in their lives.
This VOYA Guide offers practical advice about starting and maintaining effective teen volunteer programs in school and public libraries. Working with teen volunteers poses different challenges than working with adults: coping with school schedules and parents' expectations, discovering incentives that interest teens, and dealing with the emotional and physical changes that occur during adolescence. Aware of these needs, Gillespie draws on her many years of experience in managing teen volunteers to provide the basics of volunteer management--recruitment, orientation and training, recognition and retention, and supervision. Her profiles of several successful teen volunteer programs and her interviews with teen volunteer supervisors add authenticity and flavor from the actual library world.
Gillespie's sensitivity to teens is heightened by humor and a clean writing style that enlivens the text. Sidebars contain quotes, statistics, true tales from "The Dark Side" that illustrate difficult situations when working with teens, and her own words of wisdom in the guise of an advice column, "Dear All-Knowing Teen Volunteer Guru." The featured library programs contribute examples of promotional flyers, applications, interview questions, evaluations, volunteer handbooks, and other handouts.
New to the working world, teen volunteers require extra supervisory effort, instruction, and understanding. Yet Gillespie convinces librarians that the benefits of teen volunteer programs are rewarding and worthwhile for both teens and libraries. Whether a library is thinking of beginning a teen volunteer program or simply needs fresh ideas to enrich an existing one, this guide is a valuable addition to the professional reference shelf. It also deserves a place in the larger library collection, where community members who run teen volunteer programs for other agencies will find insight and support.
Designed for library professionals who work with teens, the VOYA Guides book series expresses the mission of the magazine, Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) , to promote youth access to information, youth participation, and youth advocacy.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kellie M. Gillespie is a columnist for Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) and a member of both the American Library Association and the Arizona Library Association.
