Volunteer Jobs

These are some of the jobs for which we need Library Volunteers.

Title: Circulation Assistant

Description: This position will be working at the Front Desk with staff to assist with the simple circulation of materials. The majority of work in this position involves sorting library materials as they are returned ensuring that book drops are collected at least hourly. This person also assists staff by, shelving audio/video materials and checks shelving for accuracy. This volunteer must demonstrate exceptional customer service skills and the ability to maintain a positive teamwork atmosphere by communicating with patrons, co-workers and supervisors.

Contact person: Volunteer Coordinator: Tonya Curran, 607-272-4557 ext. 226, tcurran@tcpl.org

Supervisors: Jon L., ext. 263, Beth K., ext. 242, Carol V., ext. 265

Job duties

  • Helps with emptying book drop
  • Collecting and sorting returned library materials from circulation bins
  • Basic sorting of library materials by limited criteria
  • Re-shelving audio-visual items such as DVDs, CDs, tapes, etc.
  • Dividing audio-visual material items by item type, and placing them in alphabetical or numerical order

Requirements

  • Ability to alphabetize and place things in numerical order
  • Referring patron inquiries to staff

Physical Requirements: This job requires a significant level of physical activity, including standing, walking, and moving circulation bins that may weigh up to 20 pounds.

Hours: Volunteers are expected to maintain a regular, weekly schedule, and to call in or otherwise notify circulation if they cannot be in. Bin Emptier is a position only for volunteers who will be working for an extended period; long-term, open-ended commitments are preferred.

Notes: These volunteers often work with dusty, dirty items and should dress appropriately, while at the same time being mindful that they are near the front of the library and should reflect positively on the library.

Title: Welcome Ambassador

Description: The Library's Welcome Ambassador makes the Tompkins County Public Library a positive experience by greeting patrons with warmth, enthusiasm, energy and courtesy. Showing a personal interest in them; determining what help they need and promptly delivering it.

Supervisor: Volunteer Coordinator: Tonya Curran, 607-272-4557 ext. 226, tcurran@tcpl.org

Job duties

  • Greet patrons as they enter the library.
  • Respond to queries from the public and customers.
  • Refer more difficult requests to the appropriate department
  • Provide basic information to patrons including but not limited to directional and programming information.
  • Notify Volunteer Coordinator when materials are running low or of any other issue
  • Maintains the overall appearance of the library entrance by keeping the reception area and the public announcement board neat.
  • Record visitor questions, comments and suggestions
  • Monitor visitors and notify staff of any visitor problems, needs, questions or concerns

Requirements

  • Demonstrate a willingness to keep current with library services and programs
  • Customer service orientation
  • Demonstrates dependability and reliability by being punctual, working assigned and varying shifts, and completing responsibilities in a timely manner.
  • Patience
  • Ability to adapt to and work effectively during both busy and slow periods
  • Strong verbal communication skills
  • Professional personal presentation and hygiene

Other useful attributes: Ability to read and explain a map

Physical Requirements: This is sedentary work requiring the use of your voice for expressing or exchanging ideas to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to others accurately; hearing is required to receive detailed information through oral communication .

Hours:  Volunteers are expected to maintain a regular, weekly schedule, and to call in or otherwise notify the Volunteer Coordinator if they cannot be in. Library Ambassodor is a position only for volunteers who will be long-term.

Title: Clerical Assistant/Telephone Receptionist

Description: This position requires good telephone communication skills and a strong degree of professionalism with the ability to multitask.

Contact person: Volunteer Coordinator: Tonya Curran, 607-272-4557 ext. 226, tcurran@tcpl.org

Supervisor: Secretary:  Jean S, ext. 221, secretary@tcpl.org

Job duties

  • To be the first point of contact for Library telephone enquiries from the public and transfer them to appropriate departments.
  • Responding to queries from the public by providing basic information such as hours and location of the library.
  • Screening and redirecting calls to the appropriate department as well as taking and relaying messages.
  • Maintaining the reception area and providing general administrative and clerical support.

Requirements

  • Pleasant phone demeanor
  • Strong customer service orientation
  • Ability to follow instructions
  • Ability to interact with a multi-cultural user base
  • Able to sit for an extended period
  • Asking questions to determine a priority list and then acting on that list
  • Strong Interpersonal skills
  • Reliability
  • Some computer skills helpful

Benefits

  • Opportunity to gain experience working in administrative environment
  • Opportunity to work as part of a team.
  • Letter of reference may be supplied on request

Hours:  Volunteers are expected to maintain a regular, weekly schedule, and to call in or otherwise notify the secretary if they cannot be in. Telephone Receptionist is a position only for long-term volunteers.

Title:Technical Processing Assistant

Contact person: Volunteer Coordinator: Tonya Curran, 607-272-4557 ext. 226, tcurran@tcpl.org

Supervisor: Melanie P., ext. 246

Job duties

  • Responsible for physical processing of new books and audiovisual materials
  • Stamping and marking books that are being discarded
  • Placing media in new cases to replace old, worn cases
  • Adding Covers, applying appropriate labels, stamping, and otherwise marking new materials
  • Moving boxes of material

Requirements

  • Must master assigned procedures and be reliable in handling extreme details.
  • Ability to follow very exacting standards.
  • Capable of following instructions with great precision.
  • Willingness to work independently and as part of a team.
  • Must be able to get along with fellow employees.
  • Must be able to push a fully loaded book cart and lift 30 pound boxes.
  • Must maintain appropriate dress and personal hygiene.
  • Must be able to work under busy conditions which may cause stress.

The physical activities of this position are:

Stooping: Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. This factor is important as it requires full use of the lower extremities and back muscles.
Kneeling: Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees.
Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances.
Pushing: Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force.
Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position.
Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
Repetitive motions: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrists, hand and/or fingers.

Hours:  Technical Processing Assistants are expected to maintain a regular, weekly schedule, and to call in or otherwise notify Tech. Services if they cannot be in. Hours are available only during weekdays 9am-5pm.

Title: Youth Services Program Assistant

Contact person: Volunteer Coordinator: Tonya Curran, 607-272-4557 ext. 226, tcurran@tcpl.org

Supervisor: Sarah Glogowski

Job duties

  • Cut out, glue together, or otherwise prepare materials for youth programs
  • Light clerical work such as stuffing envelopes or labeling
  • Help set up and break down rooms for youth services events
  • Assist the staff at events, interacting with children and parents

Requirements

  • Being comfortable around and good at working with children
  • Excellent customer service skills for working with the parents
  • Flexible availability
  • Positive, upbeat attitude
  • Capable of following instructions
  • Patience

Hours: Youth Services Program Assistants will have a somewhat irregular schedule.  Events can happen any day of the week or time of day, so a flexible schedule is a plus.  You aren’t necessarily required to be at every event, but the more you can help with, the better.Program preparation will likely be weekday daytimes, but again, flexibility is a strong factor.

Title: Community Service Volunteer

Community Service Volunteers complete a range of short term projects including substituting for absent volunteers in a variety of departments as well as performing cleaning projects throughout the library. These projects are extremely valuable to our organization and help enhance the library atmosphere for our patrons.

Contact person: Volunteer Coordinator: 607-272-4557 ext. 226, VolunteerCoordinator@tcpl.org

Job duties

  • Substituting for absent volunteers in our Circulation Department. (Please see job description for Circulation Assistant.)
  • Cleaning computer stations in the Adult and Youth Services areas.    Please note that there are instructions on what types of cleaning materials should be used on computer components.
  • Dusting library shelves.  Cleaning supplies will be provided to you as well as instructions regarding which areas of the library you will be responsible for.
  • Pulling the spines of all books neatly to the edge of the shelf so that they can be easily read by patrons.
  • Books that are out of order or lying on shelves and tables can be collected and placed in discard bins located throughout the library.
  • Book Cleaning in our Youth Services Department.   Cleaning supplies will be provided to you as well as instructions on which sections you will be responsible for.

Requirements

  • Be on time and committed to the program; this is a publicized public program, so it is imperative you are on time and committed to the program.

Hours: Community Service Volunteers are expected to maintain a regular schedule determined by the Volunteer Coordinator and the applicant. Volunteers are expected to give the Volunteer Coordinator as much notice as possible if they are unable to fulfill their obligation. Unexcused absences will result in the termination of the agreement and applicants will need to seek the fulfillment of their hours elsewhere.

Title: Reader is In Volunteer

Reading to children is one of the best volunteer jobs around! How can you resist reading to energetic, adorable, little kids?  When you share the joy of reading with young children, you not only enrich their language and literacy skills, you have an opportunity to bond with them and teach them social skills. Most importantly, you inspire them to become lifelong learners.

Contact person: Volunteer Coordinator 607-272-4557 ext. 226, Volunteercoordinator@tcpl.org

Supervisor: 607-272-4557 ext. 275 youthsvcs@tcpl.org

Job duties

  • Approach parents and children introducing yourself and sharing information about the program.
  • Read a variety of children’s books with clarity and enthusiasm based the age and development of the child.
  • Read to children one-on-one and/or in small groups.
  • Develop and apply innovative and appropriate reading techniques that create interest, understanding and enthusiasm amongst children.
  • Maintain necessary records of caregivers’ name and contact information.
  • Maintain and record number of program participants.
  • Maintain regular reading schedule of one hour weekly.
  • You must attend a regularly scheduled staff reading before beginning to read.

Requirements

  • You must love to read.
  • Enjoy young, energetic children with wide ranging attention spans.
  • Be on time and committed to the program; this is a publicized public program, so it is imperative you are on time and committed to the program.
  • Be able to positively redirect unpleasant behavior in a gentle, nonjudgmental way.
  • Be able to read favorite books over, and over, and over again.

Hours:Reader is In Volunteers are expected to maintain a regular, weekly schedule. Volunteers are expected to give the Volunteer Coordinator and the Youth Services Department as much notice as possible if they are unable to fulfill their obligation.

Title: Shelf Reading Volunteers

Purpose:  To help maintain the order and appearance of the Library shelves so that patrons can locate materials in a timely manner. 

Contact person: Volunteer Coordinator 607-272-4557 ext. 226, Volunteercoordinator@tcpl.org
Supervisor: Jon Long 607-272-4557 ext. 269

Job duties

This work involves checking the Library shelves for accurate placement of books and other materials. You need to have a good command of the English language, the alphabet, and the sequencing of numbers using decimals to place items in correct Dewey Decimal order.  You are responsible for keeping shelves neat by aligning books with front edge of shelf whenever possible, shifting books when necessary to make them evenly distributed on designated shelves and tightening the book ends.

Personal Traits

  • Detail oriented
  • Pleasant and courteous
  • Dependable
  • Be able to stand and squat repeatedly, using a foot stool
  • Attention to detail
  • Work well independently
  • Able to use alphabetical and numerical filing systems
  • Able to follow written and oral instructions
  • Able to work independently following training
  • Able to keep track of time worked by signing in and out
  • Able to interact well with staff
  • Able to concentrate and pay attention to details

Detailed description of task

  • Go to the assigned area and make sure the items are in correct order by reading the call number on the spine (or front cover) of each item
  • Rearrange items as necessary

If a large number are out of order, notify the supervisor.

Page last modified Apr 12, 2013