June 14,2024-June 13, 2025
For more information, click on the links below.
Who can be a Teen Volunteer?
The library’s teen volunteer program is open to students in Grades 7 thru 12th grade. Students in sixth grade can begin to volunteer at the library in January of their sixth grade year; exceptions can be made if a sixth grade student needs community service credit for an after school program, or for religious obligations such as CCD and Hebrew School. Teens age out of the Teen Volunteer program on July 1 of the year that they graduate high school.
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What will you do as a Teen Volunteer?
Here are just some of the ways that you can help the library either in the building or from home from home:
- Book Buddies: Beginning in the 2023-24 school year, you can read with a younger child at the library.
- The ARC project: Take home Advanced Reader Copies of books, read them, and let us know whether or not we should purchase them for the collection.
- CATSS Critics: Check out a Juvenile Fiction, Young Adult Fiction, or Adult Fiction Book from the Summit Free Public Library. Read the book, and either write a review about the book, or film yourself doing a booktalk video
- Craft Helper: Create take-home craft kits for kids, cut out shapes from patterns and assemble them into bags as instructed by the Youth Services librarians at the library.
- Adopt a Bulletin Board: Choose a bulletin board in the children’s department, and design it around a theme, with the librarians’ guidance.
- Program Assistance: Assist the librarians with programs both in the library and online.
- Storytellers: Record yourself reading a picture book or story for young children, and upload it to the library’s YouTube page
- Think It Lab Helper: Every day after school. Help clean the Think It Lab, and set up additional craft supplies for the weekly craft.
- Tech Helper: Assist library patrons in the adult department with any computer or device related questions
- Bring a Friend to CATSS: Participate in and help us to promote our programs for teens, by bringing a friend to the library’s after school programs.
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What qualities does the library want in a Teen Volunteer?
If any of the jobs above seem interesting, then your time as a volunteer at the library won’t even seem like work!
- Creativity! Are you handy with a pair of scissors? Are you a glue stick pro? Can you wield a staple gun? There are a lot of crafts at the library, so this job is perfect if you love making stuff.
- Organization! Libraries are all about organization and this means constant upkeep of things that get out of order. So if you get a sense of satisfaction when things are orderly, this is the right place for you!.
- Attention to detail! While we don’t expect perfection, we would rather a task be done carefully than a rushed job completed in a hurry.
- Learning! We might ask you to do something you’ve never done before, which is a great way for you to learn new skills!.
- Tech savvy! If your cell phone never leaves your hand and your tablet is your best friend, you’d be a great fit for Virtual Program Assistance, or to be a Tech Helper.
- Readers: Some of the tasks that you can do from home are perfect for those of you who really do like to read in your spare time.
- Love of the library! We hope that you want to help out at the library because you enjoy using the library yourself. We love sharing the library with you and we’re happy that you want to share your talents with us!
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What behavior does the library expect from a Teen Volunteer?
- Dependability. We expect you to show up on time and stay for your entire shift. If you can’t make it, we expect that you or your parent will let us know.
- Respect. We expect you to be respectful of library patrons, staff members, and other volunteers. Your behavior while volunteering reflects upon the library.
- Focus. We expect you to keep socializing to a minimum. You will not use your cell phone, unless there is an emergency.
- Neatness. We expect you to clean up after yourself and put back any items or tools you’ve used during your shift. Library staff should not have to clean up after you when you leave.
- Communication. We expect you to tell us if you don’t understand instructions for a task you are given, or if you don’t feel comfortable doing a certain task. Give us the chance to clarify the task, or the opportunity to give you a different task you are better suited for. Most importantly, we want you to speak up for yourself!
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What do I do once I’ve finished all of my required hours?
If you are volunteering to fulfill required community service hours for any reason and have finished your requirement, that’s fine; you don’t have to sign up for any more shifts.
However, if you love your library and want to make an impact above and beyond your required community service, we encourage you to do so. The library became a certifying agency for the President’s Volunteer Service Award. This award shows your dedication to serving the Summit Free Public Library and the greater Summit Community. To be eligible for this award, you must volunteer the following number of hours from June 14, 2023, thru June 13, 2024:
- Ages 11-15: 50-100+ hours
- Ages 16-graduating seniors: 100-250+ hours
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Here is the complete list of rules you have to follow
- Please be respectful of library patrons, staff, and other volunteers. Your behavior while volunteering reflects upon the library.
- Only show up and sign in on your scheduled days. If you show up unannounced, there is no guarantee you will receive work, and the library staff may send you home.
- Please stay home and contact the library if you are sick or have tested positive for COVID-19.
- Please arrive on time for your scheduled shift. If you cannot volunteer due to sickness or scheduling conflict, pleas cancel online and contact the library.
- Please track your volunteer hours using the online Teen Volunteer Time Sheet for any volunteering you have done in the library or remotely. You will also receive a bookmark with this information when you complete your shift at the library.
- You are required to do the work assigned of you in order to receive full credit for your hours. If completing a task remotely, the librarians will write out the steps you must follow. If you have a question about any assignments, please call the library.
- If completing a task from home, you will return your items to the library, as mentioned by the library staff.
- Please refrain from using your cell phone or other devices unless there is an emergency or you are required to use it for an assignment.
- Please focus on your assignment and keep socializing to a minimum.
- Do not walk away from your work without alerting a library staff member. If you walk away without letting anyone know, you will not receive full credit for your hours.
- You must clean up and put away what you used while volunteering. Do not leave a mess for library staff to clean up.
- If your behavior becomes a problem, or you continue to break the rules listed above, you may be asked not to return to the volunteer program.
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