Journal+2-+Sneeze

Volunteering at Dover Library

Last summer I volunteered at Dover Library as part of the summer reading program. I had gone to the training session already where I had learned how to use the computer program. I had two shifts a week and they were a lot of fun. Kids would come up to the table and ask to sign up for the program. They would have to give us their library card and we would create an account on the program. I myself was signed up for the teen reading program. After signing up the new members would have to come back and log in their minutes per week. We would give them prizes based on how many minutes they read.

This experience was enriching because it felt good to volunteer and help in the community. It was nice to see that kids were actually reading and taking advantage of the opportunities that the local library had to offer them. I added to my speaking skills because I often had to explain the program to curious parents and kids. But there was something else that I learned: how to shelve books.

There were periods of time when there would be no or very few kids coming in and this was when I helped shelve the constantly growing pile of books. One of my shifts was during the library's weekly story time so many books would be returned during that time and many books would be checked out. I became quite good at shelving books when I finally learned where all the sections where and what all the labels meant. I would use this skill later when I volunteered at the school library as part of Library Council.