Comments on: Fresh Paint: Teen Volunteers—Priceless http://www.slj.com/2012/12/public-libraries/fresh-paint-teen-volunteers-priceless/ The world's largest reviewer of books, multimedia, and technology for children and teens Thu, 19 Sep 2013 00:20:41 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2 By: P. Joy Webster http://www.slj.com/2012/12/public-libraries/fresh-paint-teen-volunteers-priceless/#comment-16234 P. Joy Webster Thu, 20 Dec 2012 13:33:32 +0000 http://www.slj.com/?p=22988#comment-16234 As a School Library Tech, I know what it is to live with being underfunded, to try to do a full-time job in part-time hours. However, I have gotten to the point where I no longer accept volunteers. As Ms. Pavis pointed out, volunteers soon quit after being trained, and I got tired of re-doing their work after they left, or having to leave behind more important work to get work ready that volunteers can do. Worse yet, volunteers don't show up, and often aren't interested in doing what needs to be done! I think we library professionals do ourselves a disservice by going along with the status quo and taking the attitude that we just have to manage along as best we can. We need to do a better job of making people aware that schools wilth 400+ students deserve to have a full-time technician in the library, and that the place can't be run by students doing the shelving and teachers doing the circulation. School principals understand the value of a secretary, and even small schools have at least one full-time secretary, so why not a full-time library tech? We must start refusing to depend on volunteers, and help the people in charge understand that library work is technical, and requires training. It is not something that just anyone can do. As a School Library Tech, I know what it is to live with being underfunded, to try to do a full-time job in part-time hours. However, I have gotten to the point where I no longer accept volunteers. As Ms. Pavis pointed out, volunteers soon quit after being trained, and I got tired of re-doing their work after they left, or having to leave behind more important work to get work ready that volunteers can do. Worse yet, volunteers don’t show up, and often aren’t interested in doing what needs to be done!

I think we library professionals do ourselves a disservice by going along with the status quo and taking the attitude that we just have to manage along as best we can. We need to do a better job of making people aware that schools wilth 400+ students deserve to have a full-time technician in the library, and that the place can’t be run by students doing the shelving and teachers doing the circulation. School principals understand the value of a secretary, and even small schools have at least one full-time secretary, so why not a full-time library tech? We must start refusing to depend on volunteers, and help the people in charge understand that library work is technical, and requires training. It is not something that just anyone can do.

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