Thursday, October 12, 2006
Adopt-A-Shelf Program
Release date: October 12, 2006
Contact: A. Lynette Parsons
409-267-8263
The Chambers County Library in Anahuac is taking a tip from the Texas Department of Transportation. We are offering residents the opportunity to “Adopt a Shelf” in a new program. Volunteers who are interested in offering their services for one hour each month are encouraged to visit the library and to take the pledge to adopt a section of the library collection to keep in good order. You won’t have to walk a mile in the hot sun to do volunteer work for us, but we can guarantee you’ll get some exercise!
Our inspiration for this program was one of our steady customers, who already feels as if a certain section of the library is “her” set of shelves. Volunteers who can “read” the shelves, to put the books in Dewey order (if they are non-fiction) or alpha order (if the books are novels) take a huge burden off the staff members, who spend a good bit of time just trying to make sure the books are where the catalog says they are. A book that is mis-shelved is as good as missing, and there are a variety of reasons why books can end up in the wrong place.
Shelf adopters will receive a short training session, and can choose a section to call their own. Then, once a month, they report for duty, read their shelves, deliver any problems to the staff, and check off their completed assignment on our chart. If it turns out that, after volunteering, your circumstances change, we will thank you for your time and hope to see you in on a customer basis, no hard feelings.
Many people find the library a wonderful place to visit, and sometimes wonder what it would be like to work here. This is a great opportunity to find out, and those service hours you contribute also provide us with a visible example of how our residents are willing to support good library service in the county. Volunteer hours are tallied each year and are included in our annual report that goes to the Texas State Library and Archives in Austin.
For more information on the Adopt-A-Shelf program, contact Assistant County Librarian Valerie Jensen at 409-267-8261, or email her at vjensen@co.chambers.tx.us. You can ask about the program on your next visit to the library, too!
Contact: A. Lynette Parsons
409-267-8263
The Chambers County Library in Anahuac is taking a tip from the Texas Department of Transportation. We are offering residents the opportunity to “Adopt a Shelf” in a new program. Volunteers who are interested in offering their services for one hour each month are encouraged to visit the library and to take the pledge to adopt a section of the library collection to keep in good order. You won’t have to walk a mile in the hot sun to do volunteer work for us, but we can guarantee you’ll get some exercise!
Our inspiration for this program was one of our steady customers, who already feels as if a certain section of the library is “her” set of shelves. Volunteers who can “read” the shelves, to put the books in Dewey order (if they are non-fiction) or alpha order (if the books are novels) take a huge burden off the staff members, who spend a good bit of time just trying to make sure the books are where the catalog says they are. A book that is mis-shelved is as good as missing, and there are a variety of reasons why books can end up in the wrong place.
Shelf adopters will receive a short training session, and can choose a section to call their own. Then, once a month, they report for duty, read their shelves, deliver any problems to the staff, and check off their completed assignment on our chart. If it turns out that, after volunteering, your circumstances change, we will thank you for your time and hope to see you in on a customer basis, no hard feelings.
Many people find the library a wonderful place to visit, and sometimes wonder what it would be like to work here. This is a great opportunity to find out, and those service hours you contribute also provide us with a visible example of how our residents are willing to support good library service in the county. Volunteer hours are tallied each year and are included in our annual report that goes to the Texas State Library and Archives in Austin.
For more information on the Adopt-A-Shelf program, contact Assistant County Librarian Valerie Jensen at 409-267-8261, or email her at vjensen@co.chambers.tx.us. You can ask about the program on your next visit to the library, too!
# posted by Valerie @ Thursday, October 12, 2006 
