Greenwich Free Library
Staff and Volunteer Newsletter
What's A Volunteer Worth?
By now, I hope you've gotten the message that the Greenwich Free Library loves our volunteers. And that we can't do it without you. We are unique in the local library world - and maybe the whole library universe! - for the number of jobs done and hours contributed by volunteers. From making our garden a local landmark to teaching classes, managing book sales, doing genealogy research and running the front desk, our volunteers do it all.
And a shout out to Marge for managing the schedule so efficiently that we are almost never without volunteer desk help.
But did you know that there's also a monetary amount attached to your service that we can use when calculating our in-kind contribution for grant applications? Yes, you not only save us money but you help us raise it. So, double thanks!
To get an idea of how much your volunteer time is worth check out this link
Included in this newsletter are several reminders for desk volunteers about basic procedures. Please, if you work the desk, take some time to go over them, even if you've been volunteering since dirt was invented. Some things have changed and sometimes it's just easy to forget important steps in familiar tasks.
What can we do to help you?
Order! Order!
One useful tool we have in our never ending struggle to create order in our little corner of the universe is the shelving game Order in the Library. Please try it out. If you can make it through all 11 levels - don't worry, it goes fast - you have the basics of the Dewey decimal system down.
After that, you just need to pay attention to all those spine labels to tell you which section the book belongs in: New? YA? Board Book? Or somewhere else. When in doubt, ask a staff member.
And you thought we have it bad . . .
Make Haste Slowly
- Take your time when checking in and out.
- That beep you hear from the computer is meaningless (I hate that beep!). Look at the computer screen EVERY TIME to see what your next step is.
- Count BEFORE you check in AND out. Audio disks, DVD's and anything that has multiple parts need to be assessed BEFORE we put them on or take them off a patron's record.
- Stop talking a minute while you're working. Telling the patrons, "I can't do this correctly and talk at the same time" will keep people from thinking you're rude. When you're done, you can continue being your wonderful, friendly self.
- Stop working when you start to talk. Being friendly and helping our patrons are our most important tasks at all times. If you don't get all the books checked in, the person on the next shift can finish up.
- Sort first, then shelve. Take the time to look at the spine labels and group items according to their destinations.
- It isn't an emergency room. People can wait while you take good care of each transaction.
It's in the Cards
1) Check the Polaris system to see if there is a card already.
Even if the person says they have never had a card, have never lived in the area, have never stepped foot in a library before. Check first. People forget. People don't know which libraries are in our system. People fib. People act like people.
2) Fill out the form completely.
Make sure to go through the list at the bottom and initial as you complete the steps. This is meant to help us remember to do a thorough job and avoid problems down the road. We can also easily go back and ask questions if we know who created the card.
3) Give the new patrons our information flyer.
It lists hours, services etc. and is very useful.
The Small Screen
First - Why?
- They were taking up too much space in the office.
- They were a pain in the neck to check in and out.
- We've started purchasing the most popular and new titles.
- We are hoping that losses will be minimal.
Second - What's the new system?
- New and New to Us DVD's have yellow or pink stickers just like books do.
- New and New to Us DVD's (the most likely to get pilfered) will still be removed from their cases and kept in sleeves in the office.
- The New and New to Us cases will be shelved empty in the New section at the end of the Fiction DVD shelf.
- All other DVD's will be shelved in their cases in alphabetical or number order.
This is an experiment intended to cut down on the time spent foodling around with DVD's. If we find that movies are disappearing from the shelves, we'll have to try something else.
Volunteer for Halloween
3:30 - 4 pm Setup
4-7 pm Trick or Treating
7-7:30 pm Cleanup
Please contact me at amiller@sals.edu to let me know when you can come.
P.S. THANK YOU!!
Greenwich Free Library
Email: amiller@sals.edu
Website: www.greenwichfreelibrary.org
Location: 148 Main Street, Greenwich, NY, United States
Phone: (518) 692-7839
Facebook: facebook.com/greenwichfreelibrary