Even a small public library can demand tremendous personal and material investments. In communities struggling to find the means to support a library, an institution started and staffed by volunteers inspired by a love for books and learning can be an ideal solution. However, the intricacies of such an undertaking may seem overwhelming. This work provides practical, tested advice on planning, developing, and maintaining the volunteer-based library. A valuable guide for any library that enlists volunteers in any capacity, the book includes worksheets, models, checklists, and a variety of anecdotes and examples illustrating the suggestions in action.
Quality volunteers can make a world of difference in today's library, and this hands-on guide gives you everything you need to maximize your library's services and build a bridge between your library and the community it serves.
Experience the joys of a small town Christmas in this novel in the beloved Mitford series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jan Karon. Millions of Americans have found Mitford to be a favorite home-away-from-home, and countless readers have long wondered what Christmas in Mitford would be like. The eighth Mitford novel provides a glimpse, offering a meditation on the best of all presents: the gift of one's heart. Since he was a boy, Father Tim has lived what he calls “the life of the mind” and has never really learned to savor the work of his hands. When he finds a derelict nativity scene that has suffered the indignities of time and neglect, he imagines the excitement in the eyes of his wife, Cynthia, and decides to undertake the daunting task of restoring it. As Father Tim begins his journey, readers are given a seat at Mitford's holiday table and treated to a magical tale about the true Christmas spirit.
In 2020, COVID-19, the Australia bushfires, and other global threats served as vivid reminders that human and nonhuman fates are increasingly linked. Human use of nonhuman animals contributes to pandemics, climate change, and other global threats which, in turn, contribute to biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and nonhuman suffering. Jeff Sebo argues that humans have a moral responsibility to include animals in global health and environmental policy. In particular, we should reduce our use of animals as part of our pandemic and climate change mitigation efforts and increase our support for animals as part of our adaptation efforts. Applying and extending frameworks such as One Health and the Green New Deal, Sebo calls for reducing support for factory farming, deforestation, and the wildlife trade; increasing support for humane, healthful, and sustainable alternatives; and considering human and nonhuman needs holistically. Sebo also considers connections with practical issues such as education, employment, social services, and infrastructure, as well as with theoretical issues such as well-being, moral status, political status, and population ethics. In all cases, he shows that these issues are both important and complex, and that we should neither underestimate our responsibilities because of our limitations, nor underestimate our limitations because of our responsibilities. Both an urgent call to action and a survey of what ethical and effective action requires, Saving Animals, Saving Ourselves is an invaluable resource for scholars, advocates, policy-makers, and anyone interested in what kind of world we should attempt to build and how.
"A comprehensive guide to raising money written for volunteers and staff who aren't necessarily professional fundraisers. Containing insights and stories from a team of nonprofit experts, this book covers both the practical and the fun, creative aspects of fundraising"--Provided by publisher.
If you are a parent of a teenager who is looking for advice, then this powerful and insightful book is just for you. In Parenting Redefined, Coach Britney reveals how to have a better relationship with your teenager by supplying testimonials and research in order to provide hope for those parenting through the teenage years. In this engaging book, Coach Britney provides the 4 key strategies you need to implement to understand your teenager, enjoy your teenager, and guide your teenager to success. She shares the importance of being proactive, gaining clarity, maintaining positivity, and developing a plan. The content and principles Coach Britney shares in this book are the same she uses to guide her clients to make the best choices in their lives to improve their academics, health, and relationships. With this book, you can gain confidence and receive hope to not only survive parenting a teenager but to thrive as you REDEFINE your role as a parent!
Volunteers are crucial to the daily operation of any library. Finding and retaining the right people, motivating them and matching their skills with projects is challenging. This collection of 30 new essays brings together the experiences of numerous individuals across the U.S., providing ideas, projects and best practices for volunteer recruiting and management. The contributors--among them library board members, heads of special collections, directors of state library associations, outreach coordinators, archivists and researchers--discuss a broad range of topics in five sections: recruitment and retention; policies and process; mentoring and empowering; placement, programs and responsibilities; and outreach.
Volunteers are one of the most overlooked and underused resources available to nonprofits and other organizations. This guide will help find willing volunteers in the community and utilize their skills in a way that benefits the volunteer as well as the organization. Overseeing volunteers can be a daunting task. On top of all of the other duties library staff are typically responsible for, creating a volunteer program from scratch can seem nearly impossible. The work doesn’t stop once the program is created: volunteers have to be trained and retained; job duties have to be written, assessed, and refreshed; the benefits of the program need to be documented and weighed. While “volunteer coordinator” is easily a full-time job, it rarely is in the library or nonprofit world. Anything that can make volunteer management easier on library and nonprofit staff will benefit everyone involved. Library Volunteers: A Practical Guide for Librarians covers every aspect of volunteer programs, from creating, to recruiting, to retaining and keeping the opportunities fresh and appealing. It has information pertaining to elementary age, teenage, and adult volunteers, including innovative and unique volunteer positions that can be offered to them. The book covers both school and public library settings, but the information provided can be adapted slightly to benefit any organization that has a need for volunteer help. It looks beyond the scope of the library to include information on outreach and partnering with community organizations to provide volunteer opportunities to library patrons and volunteers on a broader scale. It is a complete handbook for library and nonprofit employees to use to solve any volunteer issue they might have.
Aimed at both experienced and new volunteer managers, this guide offers practical advice about starting and maintaining effective teen volunteer programs in school and public libraries. With sensitivity for teens' special needs and their lack of experience in the workplace, it covers the basics of interviewing, training, and supervising. Included are profiles of several library volunteer programs with sample forms and promotional materials, lively anecdotes from the library world, and tips from successful managers of teen volunteers.
