Susanna Hall October 3, 2010 IST 661, Dr.

Hill Assignment 2: Volunteer Plan Boston High School Library Policy Manual: Adult Volunteer and Intern Policy1

PART I.

Adult Volunteer and Intern Recruitment Plan

Benefits to the BHS Library The city of Boston is home to an abundance of colleges and universities, diverse neighborhood and cultural organizations, and thriving healthcare and business industries. Bostons high school students and faculty can benefit greatly from programs in which local adults volunteer their time and expertise, and schools can thus become more rooted in surrounding educational, cultural, and professional communities. The adult volunteer and intern program at the Boston High School Library will allow students parents and guardians, community members, and local undergraduate and graduate students to become involved in a vibrant school community and enrich the learning of BHS students and faculty. Library volunteers and interns will bring local realworld experience in to the school in academic and extra-curricular areas. Some volunteers and interns will assist with one-time library events (such as author visits), others will work in short-term library programs (such as book groups, game nights, and literacy classes), and others will provide ongoing assistance on an as-needed basis (such as with research projects and collection development).

This is a ctional school and a hypothetical policy.

Recruitment Method The BHS Library will act as the central recruiting office for volunteers and interns whose work will be done primarily within the library facility. All library volunteers and interns will be recruited, interviewed, selected, trained, supervised, and evaluated by the Library Director. Volunteers and interns will be actively recruited by the Library Director in response to specific needs articulated by BHS students, faculty, and administration during interviews and focus groups at the start of each school year. As events and programs are designed, the Library Director will contact parents/guardians and/or local schools, organizations, and businesses in order to find volunteers and interns with the appropriate expertise and willingness to help. Potential volunteers are also welcome to initiate contact with the library at library@bostonhs.org and pitch ideas for volunteer work.

PART II. Policy

Purpose of adult volunteers and interns: The Boston High School Library welcomes adult volunteers and interns who are willing to donate their time and expertise! Volunteers and interns make it possible for the BHS Library to expand and enhance services and programs that help students and faculty become skilled and engaged lifelong learners.

Potential categories of adult volunteer and intern assistance: One-time events, such as:
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 Provide food, posters, and/or set-up and clean-up for author visits or kick-off events/exhibits for Banned Books Week, Black History Month, or Latino Book Month. Help with the Big Clean of the library in January or June Help weed out and donate old and unused books every June

Short-term Programs, such as: Clerical tasks: shelving returned materials, assisting with circulation services Library programming before, during, and after school hours: Game nights: facilitate video games and/or board games with students Technology instruction: photoshop, graphic design, blogging, website design Film series: facilitate a books-into-film series, hold film discussions Journalism instruction: teach students to write and publish reviews: books, movies, concerts, restaurants, sneaker stores, etc. Literacy programming: facilitate book groups, help pair readers with pleasure reading books for sustained silent reading time Undergraduate, Graduate and Doctoral Student Internship projects: local students training in the areas of Library and Information Science, Reading Specialist, Speech-Language Pathology, Literacy, Special Education, Guidance Counseling, and Career/College Counseling may propose, design, and facilitate programs in collaboration with the Library Director that effectively connect the library collection to instruction for individuals or groups of students.

Ongoing assistance, such as: Subject-area specialists: local librarians and university instructors may assist in student and faculty research and with collection development in the curriculum areas of Humanities, Sciences, Math, Engineering, Spanish language, and Latin American, African, European, and Caribbean cultures.

Guidelines and Procedures for becoming an adult volunteer or intern: The BHS Library Director uses an in-person interview to carefully match potential volunteers and interns with library-related tasks that are interesting and meaningful for them, a good fit for their skills, capabilities, and schedules, and genuinely helpful to the BHS Library and overall school community. If applicable, formal academic internship requirements are discussed during the interview process. All volunteers and interns are provided with 1:1 training and supervision appropriate to their volunteer activities. Volunteers and interns are also recognized and appreciated publicly for their efforts and can negotiate perks with the Library Director (Fullner, 2004). In return, BHS Library volunteers and interns are expected to adhere to the following guidelines and procedures: Adult volunteers and interns must be 18 years of age or older, and must not be current high school students. Volunteers and interns will not substitute for or replace established staff positions. All volunteer and intern activities must be approved by the Library Director, the Library Board, and BHS administration.

 Volunteers and interns must sign a contract that defines and specifies their roles and activities; their schedule (dates, hours, and duration of service); budgeting needs (if applicable and available), and plans for supervision, training, and evaluation. Volunteers and interns will not be expected to perform duties not related to their activity or program. Volunteers and interns are required to document their hours and activities in an ongoing log that will be shared with the Library Director. Volunteers and interns who assist with the circulation of library materials and student research services must sign a form to demonstrate that they understand the requirement of maintaining patron confidentiality. Volunteers and interns who work with students must do so in the presence of a BHS Library staff member. Any volunteer or intern who will work with BHS students without direct supervision of a Library staff member must complete a Criminal Offense Record Investigation (CORI). Volunteers and interns must check in daily at the front office, sign in and out in the Volunteer and Intern Log Book, and wear a visitors name tag at all times when working on behalf of BHS. Volunteers with disabilities are welcome at the BHS Library and are asked to communicate with the Library Director about any accommodations or adaptive technologies that they may need to do their work (ASCLA, 2010).

 Volunteers and interns are are free to take days off or vacations, and are welcome to terminate their work at BHS at any time, but they are asked to give at least a seven-day notice of any schedule changes to the Library Director.

References

Ad Hoc Committee on Young Adult Standards (2005). Standards for Public Library Services to Young Adults in Massachusetts: Sample Volunteer Policy. Retrieved from http://www.masslib.net/yss/mlayastandards.htm Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA) (2010). Tip Sheet: Volunteers with Disabilities. In Library AccessibilityWhat You Need to Know. Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/ascla/asclaprotools/ accessibilitytipsheets/ Fullner, S. K. (2004). Perks, rewards, and glory: The care and feeding of volunteers. Library Media Connection, 22(4), 38-39. Massachusetts Library Association Youth Services Section (2000). Friends and Volunteers. Massachusetts Public Library Trustees Handbook (Chapter 10). Retrieved from http://mblc.state.ma.us/advisory/trustees/trustees_handbook/ ch10s05.php