Student, adult volunteers help fill staffing void at library

The event, like the summer reading program itself, required the efforts of library staff members and a dedicated group of high school students and adults who volunteer their time, providing the facility with much-needed support.

“I couldn’t have pulled this off without them,” Martha Samborski, senior library technician and children’s programming coordinator, said. “They handled the door count, the prize table, the food table, the crafts table, and the preparation and cleanup.”

With the reduction of staff due to budget cuts in recent years, the library’s volunteer program is proving to be an invaluable resource.

“I think it’s the best program here,” Rhodeen Howell, volunteer program coordinator, said. “They’re here all year and helping us in so many ways.”

Howell, who served as a volunteer for six years before joining the library staff and becoming volunteer program coordinator two years ago, said the program initially met the needs of students looking for a summer job.

“It started with kids coming in and asking to help during the summer,” she said.

Although the bulk of volunteer hours come during the summer, the program functions year-round thanks to the students who also work during the school year and an adult contingent that includes retirees, active-duty spouses and even active-duty members.

Howell said she trains volunteers and apprises them of their responsibilities, which include showing up on time, performing their duties and logging in their time. A majority of their duties involve shelving and straightening books and media, such as DVDs and CDs and reading materials, or making sure that books and other items are placed in the proper order.

“They don’t have to be fast,” she said. “We want quality over quantity. We ask them to take their time.”

Volunteers assist the staff in other ways, too, such as dusting shelves, repairing damaged materials, helping out at the front counter and providing support during the summer reading program, story time and other library events.

Howell said students are ready to be volunteers once they reach high school.

Marcus Harris, 14, a sophomore at Randolph High School, started working at the library the summer before his first year of high school.

“I was bored during the summer after seventh grade,” he said. “I wanted to do something with my time the next summer, so I volunteered.”

Marcus, who said he enjoys his volunteer position, attends to the usual duties of shelving, straightening and reading shelves, but he also put his musical talent to good use during the summer reading program finale when he performed on his saxophone.

The number of hours volunteers devote to the library varies from person to person, but Howell said some students work between 50 and 60 hours during the summer, often to satisfy community service requirements at their school or church. During the school year, their volunteer hours decline due to the demands of their education.

“I ask for one hour a week,” she said. “Some want to work more, but this shouldn’t interfere with their schoolwork. That comes first.”

In addition to acquiring a work ethic, students gain valuable experience that can help them when they apply for college or a job, Howell said.

Volunteering is a different kind of experience for adults.

“I’ve been a volunteer off and on through the years,” retiree Robin Miller said. “It’s an opportunity to give back.”

Miller, who has volunteered for family services programs at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, and at JBSA-Randolph, said she enjoys the summer reading program because it allows her to interact with children and parents.

Staff Sgt. April Osborn, Air Education and Training Command’s Command Center NCO in charge of training, said she chose to volunteer at the library because she loves to read.

“One of the most therapeutic places for me is in a library or bookstore,” she said. “Reading is the best way to relieve stress and learn new things.”