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-- Roberta Cole Lader, Librarian
St. Louis Catholic School
2901 Popkins Lane
Alexandria, VA 22309
(703) 768-7732
laderfam@erols.com


----------
>From: Martin Miller <MartinJ500@AOL.COM>
>To: LM_NET@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
>Subject: GEN: Student workers and volunteers
>Date: Sat, Jul 31, 1999, 5:17 PM
>

> Hello everyone!
>
> As a soon to be school librarian, I need some information from the practicing
> folks!  I'm writing a paper to finish up an Administration class to get my
> MLIS this summer.  I would appreciate if you would respond to the following
> questions/discussion points concerning problems/issues surrounding student
> workers and volunteers.  Please feel free to respond to any or all of the
> points.  No names or locations will be used.  I'm just looking for some of
> the problems, etc., that using unpaid workers might cause.  Please respond to
> my email address and not the list as soon as possible.  Thanks in advance for
> your input!
>
> 1.  Do you actively recruit your adult volunteers?  How?
> 2.  Do you get to choose your student workers, or do you have to take anyone
> who shows up or is sent by the office?
> 3.  What kind of training do you provide for your student workers?  For the
> adult volunteers?
> 4.  Do you make a distinction, in terms of types of jobs performed, between
> what student workers do and what adult volunteers do?
> 5.  Do you do any kind of performance appraisal for you student workers?
> Adult volunteers?
> 6.  Have you ever had to "fire" a student worker or an adult volunteer?  What
> were the circumstances?  If you have never faced this situation, how would
> you handle it if you had to?
> 7.  Since these people aren't paid, how to you recognize your student workers
> and adult volunteers?
> 8.  If your unpaid staff is crucial to the operation of your library, how do
> you handle "no shows?"
> 9.  Student workers and volunteers: A blessing or a curse?
> 10.  Other considerations not covered.
>
> Martin Miller / Graduate Student
> Graduate School of Library and Information Science/University of Texas at
> Austin
> martinj500@aol.com


1.  A volunteer "volunteer coordinator" from PTO library committee recruits.
I also do my recruiting by providing information on library jobs and sign-up
at "folder Sunday" at the beginning of the year when students pick up their
info. for the new year.
2.  I pick student volunteers in cooperation with the sixth-grade teachers
each semester according to their level of responsibility and ability to make
up classroom time missed.
3.  Both student and adult volunteers are given orientation sessions, then
handbooks, then individual on-the-job training.  The Arlington Diocese
requires training in recognizing and dealing with abuse of children.
4.  Students do morning pick-ups and carding of books.  Adults do check-out,
carding, shelving, processing and other tasks.
5.  No formal appraisal.
6.  Yes. After I attempted to handle the problem myself, the principal and I
talked to the volunteer and asked that she try another job in the school.
7.  Student volunteers are given an end-of-semester party, small gifts, and
certificates.  Adult volunteeres are recognized in the parish volunteer
dinner, an end-of-year party, end-of-year certificates, and small gifts at
Christmas and end of year.  Our school requires all parents to volunteer at
least 15 hours or pay a fee.
8.  With great patience and fortitude.  If frequent, I ask the worker if
he/she would like to change schedules.
9.  95% blessing, 5% curse!
10. I depend on my volunteers of all ages, and grow mightily from their
ideas and input.  I have one deaf volunteer who is teaching all of us sign
language and notices problems and solutions that the rest of us don't see
because we are distracted!

Hope this helps.


>
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