Whitman Public Library Volunteer Policy
The Whitman Public Library Volunteer Program is designed to expand and enhance public service to the community. Volunteers generally provide support services to paid staff, or work on special projects. Volunteers are expected to act in accordance with library policies and to reflect positive customer service attitudes to all library patrons.
Selection of Volunteers
Volunteers are selected based on their qualifications in relation to the needs of the library at any given time, and based on their ability to commit to a consistent schedule of volunteer hours. Selection of volunteers is the responsibility of the Director.
Prospective volunteers are required to fill out an application form (available at the Circulation Desk), and the Director may request an interview after reviewing an application. If there are no suitable volunteer opportunities, application forms will be kept on file for a period of one year. Applicants will be called if a project is identified which matches their interests or qualifications. The Library Director reserves the right to enlist or decline the services of any volunteer without cause.
Volunteer Roles and Responsibilities
The library depends on its volunteers for a wide variety of tasks which otherwise need to be assigned to library staff. We therefore ask volunteers to be reliable in their commitment to the library, and to notify the library in advance if they are unable to work their regularly scheduled time slot. In turn, volunteers will be notified immediately on any given day when the library opens late or closes early for any reason.
Volunteers are expected to refer all requests for information to library staff, other than purely directional questions (e.g. where is the bathroom; where is the children’s room, etc.).
Volunteers are asked to keep an accurate record of the hours they work each week, for use by the Director.
Volunteers will receive specific training in their assigned duties from the library staff member who directly supervises their work. All reasonable care will be taken to ensure the safety of volunteers.
Volunteers shall only work during hours when adequate supervision is available. Typically, a volunteer works a minimum 2-3 hour time slot each week. Individual work schedules and specific time commitments will be mutually arranged in advance by the volunteer and the Director or immediate supervisor.