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Teaching Librarian 15.indd 42 Ontario School Library Association ◆ covering paper or hardback books; ◆ evaluating book donations; ◆ arranging library events (book fairs, fundraising); ◆ weeding the collection; ◆ shelving, shelf-reading, grooming the stacks; ◆ monitoring the library; ◆ designing brochures, newsletters, and promotional materials ◆ monitoring and maintaining blogs, and Web sites; ◆ completing light cleaning tasks. It's important to have a library volunteer manual where volunteers can look for instructions and information about different tasks. Even with a manual in place, I found it difficult to keep track and also to let my volunteers know what was a priority. To solve this problem, we created an additional communications binder where we could write notes to each other to monitor our progress. They began to use it to communicate with each other as well. Motivating Volunteers Motivation is one of the best ways to ensure that you actually keep the volunteers you worked so hard to find and train. It's a good idea to consider where they're coming from, and why they're volunteering in your library in the first place. By ensuring they're satisfied on the job, even though it's unpaid, you can keep them excited by what they're doing. The more important the job, the more valued they will feel as school community members. Make sure you give your volunteers enough to do: their time is valuable, so by keeping them busy with meaningful work, they'll feel their hours are well spent. Appreciation of your volunteers' efforts is imperative. Since there's no monetary reward, public and private acknowledgement of their efforts can go a long way (Freund, 33). Recognition can be as simple as a thank you, a short note, or more public like a luncheon, tea, or reception with publicly presented certificates or awards. By writing articles for your library and school newsletters to thank your volunteers at the end of a major project, you can acknowledge their role and make them feel proud of their accomplishments in the library. This is easy to do if they see themselves as key to your library's operation. The more help you've got, the more positive impact you can have in your school. The more that's heard and seen from the library, the more you'll be recognized for future support. Let volunteers into your library and, as a team, seek and create positive change. April 27 to May 3, 2008, is National Volunteer Week. Consult http://new.volunteer.ca for more information. ❚ RESOURCES Auger, Willo et al. "Using Library Volunteers: Results of a Descriptive Survey." Colorado Libraries 30 no 3 (2004): 39-42. Freund, Dale. "Do Volunteers Belong in the Library?" Rural Libraries 25 no 1 (2005): 19- 41. "Getting Help." The School Librarian's Workshop 20 no 5 (Jan 2000): 1-2. McCune, Bonnie. "Marketing to Find Volunteers." Colorado Libraries 26 no 3 (2000): 40-41. McCune, Bonnie F, and Carleszine Nelson. "Why Volunteers?" Colorado Libraries 20 no 3 (2002): 50-51. Smallwood, Carol. "Training Student and Adult Assistants, Interns, and Volunteers: Tips for New Librarians Servicing Small Libraries." Book Report 17 no 4 (1999): 24- 26. Troisi, Andrea. "105 Things Parent Volunteers Can Do--Other Than Raising Funds." Library Talk 11 no 5 (1998): 10-12.