UTILIZING RETIRED INDIVIDUALS AS VOLUNTEERS
Ashanti White
Retirement once marked the declining years of a life; it was the time in which a retiree rested. With increased life expectancy and good health, seniors now view retirement as a new period in the journey, one of exploration, learning, and new lifestyles. One factor has remained—senior citizens continue to comprise a large percentage of the public library customers, and many still view the library as a community pillar. Libraries should utilize the enthusiasm and commitment of senior citizens in the community through volunteerism projects that benefit both.
ATTRACTING RETIREES
Volunteerism has proved an integral component of many public library systems, yet administrators, prompted partially by the restraints of some volunteers, have relegated their duties to menial tasks such as sorting and shelving. Such duties are not unimportant, but for library volunteerism to appeal to older customers, who can just as easily find part-time positions elsewhere, some volunteer tasks must be mentally challenging and emotionally rewarding. Unlike teenage or community service candidates, senior citizens bring a special set of skills that can enhance the flow of library duties. Former school teachers and librarians have experience with children, so they can serve as storytime readers, and customer service retirees bring qualities that are necessary in conducting successful surveys. The key to maximizing efforts is thinking innovatively when considering activities that seniors can fulfill.
For example, Libraries for the Future partnered with the Connecticut state library to host the Connecticut Life Options Project, which involved two programs utilizing the skills of older adults to help young children. The Dwight branch of the Hartford Public Library collaborated with a senior center on an intergenerational garden improvement project, and the library in New Haven sponsored the Ben Carson Reading Club, in which older adult volunteers engaged young people in afterschool and family reading activities.2
LESS IS MORE
Regardless of the level of volunteer involvement, some training is necessary, especially to inform recruits of library procedures and ethics. Still, we can utilize the expertise and skills of volunteers to reduce the amount of staff time needed. Many public library systems recognize that a major interest for seniors is acquiring basic computer knowledge. Instead of plucking two staff members from regular duties, one librarian can work in conjunction with a volunteer familiar with Internet applications or word processing software. This allows other staff to focus on the overall workflow of the library, allows the training senior to utilize his knowledge, and allows customers to take advantage of germane library programs.
Volunteers can assist in a variety of specialized responsibilities, such as finding requested books, covering books, and providing technical services help in the computer areas, but some may also enjoy more leisurely activities. At Camden Public Library, for example, “experienced” volunteers serve as chaperones for the young adult and juvenile programs, in which they man different activity stations for the events. They may also “babysit” equipment during movie showings to ensure that all goes smoothly. Displays, which are important aspects of in-branch marketing, can serve as a creative outlet for retirees volunteering at the library. These tasks are diminutive but a necessary part of library programs.
Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina, was founded by Quakers in 1837. The university’s main library, Hege Library, maintains an impressive archival collection on Quakers in the Southeast. Most of the volunteers for the Friends Historical Collection and Archives are volunteers from the retirement community, Friends Home, near the institution. Not only do the volunteers greet guests and assist with basic research, many serve as interviewees for primary research.
Although libraries should be creative in designating tasks to retirees, volunteers are welcome to perform the regular tasks too; shelving DVDs, shelf reading, and emptying book drops are always needed.
IDEAL VOLUNTEERS
Retired volunteers are not simply different from other volunteers because of their age. They bring professionalism and experience in various fields. Additionally, they are unlike their teenage and service-mandated candidates in having an indefinite amount of time to donate to the library. If the library can create mentally stimulating and fulfilling activities for retirees, it can reasonably reap the benefits of their secure status. Moreover, the current zeal that seniors possess about their communities and the libraries (e.g., “In addition to my personal use of the library on a regular basis for recreational reading, the library has served my family well through the years”)4 can greatly contribute to the morale of the employees.
Retired volunteers present a host of opportunities to the libraries in which they work. Experience, expertise, professionalism, and passion are among the reasons that libraries should seek to recruit volunteers within this demographic. The recession can take a negative toll on the institutions, but programs and services to customers do not have to be compromised. By supplying retirees rewarding challenges, libraries, customers, and the retiree volunteers all benefit.
Notes
1. Data from Federal Registrar 74, no. 14 (January 23, 2009): 4199–201.
2. Diantha Dow Schull, “A New Look at Lifelong Access,” American Libraries, September 2005:43.
3. Library Volunteer Program. Fairfax County Public Library, www.fairfaxcounty.gov/library/volunteer/.
4. Hancock County Library System, Library News, 2008, www.hatt.ent.sirsi.net/custom/web/content/mylibrary.doc.