Saturday, July 31, 2010

Library volunteer

Here I am behind the desk at the library, sorting some DVDs that have been returned.  Greg, beyond me, manages our South Chattanooga Branch.  The library needs my help for two hours during lunch, between noon and 2:00 p.m., whenever one of the three is off or on vacation.  The idea is to have at least a couple of people available at all times.  During my two hours, one of the regulars has lunch between 12:00 and 1:00 and the other goes to lunch from 1:00 until 2:00 (notice the clock).  Although volunteers can't do everything the regulars do, we help patrons find things and do some of the simpler jobs like shelving books and DVDs.

My days of volunteering may be numbered this fall, since I'll be teaching at Chattanooga State on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.  Classes start at the end of August, and the semester doesn't end until early in December.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Love this.

Helen's Book Blog said...

Yay! A library volunteer; that's awesome. Enjoy your weekend

Emily said...

Teaching! Congratulations. What subject?

Bonnie Jacobs said...

Helen, I actually worked in the library of a private school in the 1970s, while I was completing my bachelor's degree.

Emily, I'll be teaching two classes in developmental writing -- remedial writing, in other words. Read about it here: http://bonniesbooks.blogspot.com/2010/07/writing-first-annotated-textbook.html

and here: http://bonniesbooks.blogspot.com/2010/07/todays-teaser-two-rivers.html

Bonnie Jacobs said...

David Clapp, head of the library system, commented on Facebook:

"Much appreciated, Bonnie. If anyone wonders why South Chattanooga stays open 5 days a week while the larger branches are only open 4, you have explained it well. We employee 2 full-time and one part-time person there, and basic security demands at least 2 people working at all times. Whenever there is an illness or vacation, the branch would close if there was not you or someone else to cover a few of the hours during lunches. Reducing the staff any further to save money would mean closing the branch entirely. Volunteers like you make a huge difference."

Helen's Book Blog said...

It's so great when volunteers are appreciated! Our local libraries are slowly closing their doors 2 days a week as well.

Susan Tidwell said...

With your love and knowledge of books this will be a perfect job for you, Bonnie! Have fun!