11th National Library Technicians Conference
Jennifer Dyer NSW Department of Education and Training
Abstract
Two years ago at Birrong Girls' High School the teacher/librarian and myself made a commitment to create a haven for high school students who were prepared to offer themselves as volunteer administrative support and service providers in the library. We have developed a set of documents to give us a framework for implementing a comprehensive volunteer training program which simultaneously supports the library technician's activities. It includes a weekly schedule specifying tasks from processing through to shelving, repairing and shelf checking, a charter to clearly set out tasks and responsibilities in a pseudo-legal format, a learning schedule and a library quiz. We make a formal written application compulsory and do work experience references on request.
Initially the Student Library Monitor Scheme aimed to get an effective support mechanism in place. This prototype was to become the system for future monitors but as time progressed, it was realised that it should be used more as a template for constant modifications to the system. We found that there was a constant variation in the calibre of students as we have progressed through this cycle, necessitating ongoing changes to the Scheme.
In order to maximise outcomes, we have analysed our system to make sure it incorporated the following five broad categories:
- Support for Administration
- Social Support Mechanism
- Work Experience Program
- Information Skills Program/Numeracy and Literacy Support, and
- School Information Resource and Newsletter Article Writers.
By understanding the functions that we fulfil we have served our community more effectively and given opportunities to our students. We have also acted to broaden that all too narrow perception of what a library does. The nickname for our library has become "The Grace Place", where anything is achievable. Our motto is "none of us is as good as all of us".
Introduction
My name is Jennifer Dyer. I work in a state girls' high school library in the western suburbs of Sydney. Our little library lives and breathes with the help of voluntary student library monitors. I can tell you that last week, before school, at recess and lunchtime, any one of our ten current monitors was manning the circulation desk and processing all of the day-to-day functions our library performs. Our library would feel very empty without our volunteers.
Year of the volunteer
It is fortuitous for me that the United Nations has proclaimed the Year 2001 as the International Year of Volunteers in order "to enhance the recognition, facilitation, networking and promotion of volunteer service" and "to increase awareness of its achievements and potential, to encourage service from an expanded number of individuals and to channel resources to such service."
In Australia the objectives were:
- to recognise and celebrate the outstanding contribution volunteers make to a strong, cohesive Australian society;
- to have community, business, the media and government work together to build an Australian society that encourages and nurtures a culture of volunteering; and
- to support Australian communities in their engagement in valuable and productive voluntary activities.
For the past three years I have been working hard developing and implementing a training scheme for teenage student volunteers which, while it has absorbed a great amount of my time and effort, has also reaped great rewards for myself, the clients of the library and the volunteers themselves. I am here to say that perhaps you should consider having volunteers in your library? Return to the broadest picture again.
Remember the Olympics?
What would our Olympics have been like without volunteers? Many Australians discovered that there was a place for them in volunteering for the Olympics. It was brought massively and positively into public prominence by both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. None of their success could have been achieved without the volunteers some 50 000 volunteers in total. The Games' experience surely suggests that the underlying potential and disposition to volunteer is very strong in our community.
Sandy Hollway commented on volunteering when he launched the International Year of Volunteers 2001 in NSW. He said, "...the essential motivating factors were there before willingness to serve the community, the wish to stand up and be counted when important Australian interests are at stake and when failure is unthinkable, the satisfaction of working with others for a common purpose, the sense of having a place in the bigger scheme of things, the opportunity for work experience and skills acquisition... It [the Olympics] worked so well because of the huge and painstaking effort we put into recruitment, recognition, training, motivation and team building."
Some data suggests that the people involved in organised volunteering are declining that is, those working as volunteers through community organisations. On the other hand, informal volunteering appears to be on the increase. At over 2.5 million persons, according to the 1995 ABS Survey into Voluntary Work, the base is high and is impressive relative to a population of our size.
Perhaps we take volunteering for granted because volunteers themselves are not in search of praise and because volunteering is simply woven into the fabric of Australian life.
Volunteers in libraries
In my research into volunteers in the library, anecdotal evidence was often dismissive and discouraging. However, one article in particular gave me heart and insight into what I have been attempting to do. It made me express much more effectively both the overview and many of its details. It emphasised communicating:
- the mission and goals of the library;
- its procedures and policies;
- the need to introduce staff and other volunteers; and
- comprehensive tours of the facility.
Further to this it stressed the importance of communicating administrative responsibilities and logistic information. Lastly it concluded by discussing the benefits of volunteerism and future training and evaluation.
Rashelle Karp extensively explored the benefits of the volunteers to both the library and themselves and gave simple ideas on how to show appreciation through rewards.
Our grace space
As I read the previous article, I was happy to recognise a number of features I had already incorporated into our little "Grace Space" which went some way to explaining why we were so successful. We provided a benevolent environment where students earned a comfort zone in which they could grow and academically prosper while, at the same time, serving their community.
Other research I did was very useful in highlighting the pitfalls of volunteers and how to avoid some of them. We had to be careful that students did not abuse their privileges by getting too much free printing or tamper with data.
Action research project
My presence here today was primarily the result of an Action Research Project, which I developed while pursuing a Certificate of Administrative Leadership. It is called "A Program for Facilitating the Training and Development of Student Monitors in the School Library". It comprised two major cycles made up of four recurring segments. These were:
- the Plan
- the Action
- Observation and Analysis; and
- Reflection and Recommendation.
Here I will quote from my Action Research conclusion:
Two years ago we committed ourselves to creating a haven for high school students who were prepared to offer themselves as volunteers, knowing full well that their peers would pass judgement on them.
The more literature that was accessed, the more it appeared that Birrong Girls' High School library has moved into unexplored and undocumented territory. By understanding the functions that we fulfil, we have served our community more effectively and given opportunities to our students. We have also acted to broaden that all too narrow perception of what a library does. We have come to the conclusion that constant observation and feedback are the key elements in securing a sound working system where constant modifications need to be made to allow for the ongoing changes that occur.
The Student Library Monitor Scheme has to keep evolving in order to survive and grow. We will continue to nurture it and share our experiences and this Action Research Project has reinforced our faith in our directions.
The follow-on
Now, a year later as I stand before you, I have no reason for changing what I wrote then, in fact I feel even more strongly that through our careful planning and implementation strategies, we have a volunteer scheme that works. Also in the last 12 months since then, some student library monitors have left and some have joined. I have documented the cases of poor achievers and students with low self-esteem who have grown visibly before our astonished eyes. We have seen our crew of Vietnamese, Afghanis, Serbians, Arabs and Anglos learn the principles of community service and information management and retrieval while they have picked up computer literacy skills that have enhanced their own cognitive development. But above and beyond all that, we have seen them grow emotionally and mature in the eyes of their peers.
The nitty gritty
Some of the nitty gritty that really counted and that needs to be mentioned was a commitment to developing documents which gave us a structure. Within that structure we allowed our 'community' to operate pretty much on its own merits and motivations. Examples of these documents included a weekly ' Attendance Schedule', which distributed the tasks of processing, shelving, shelf maintenance, book covering and repairs. We persisted in an almost trivial way but it paid off because the volunteers recognised that we were always conscious of their presence and activities. We also had an extensive 'Learning Schedule' that comprehensively explained all aspects of the library, its duties and responsibilities.
As well as this we had a 'Library Monitors' Quiz' which was brought out whenever those occasional quiet times came upon us:
Library Monitors' Quiz
- Where in the library do you find:
- a dictionary
- a pamphlet
- a current newspaper
- a black and white photocopier
- an atlas
- a periodical
- a word-processing computer
- an old newspaper
- an encyclopaedia
- the Internet
- In what order do I place these on the shelf?:
- Where do you find on a book:
- the contents page
- the barcode
- the cover
- an index
- the spine
- the due date by which the book has to be returned
- What do these mean on a book?
- Where in the library do you find all of the above references?
- What do the 3 letters stand for under "F" on the fiction books?
- What are the 2 separate money tins for?
- Where in the library do you find:
- returned books not yet processed
- library cards not collected
- a barcode reader
- magazines, eg Choice, Time, The Bulletin
- a Student PC Booking Sheet
- pamphlets on everyday issues, eg drugs, smoking
- an OASIS menu
- books ready to shelve
- a barcode memory reader
- new books for loan
- a list of new websites
- a cataloguing reference for a book
- What are the rules about:
- food in the library
- bags in the library
- chewing gum
- noise
- How much do students pay for the following?
- library fines per school day
- library fines for weekends
- black and white photocopying
- A3-paper on black and white photocopier
- black and white printing from computer
- colour printing from computer
- scanning
- How many days can students keep a book before it becomes overdue?
- What do you do to record that a fine has been paid?
- Students can't enter the library unless [tick the correct answer]:
- only the teacher/librarian is present
- only the library school assistant is present
- only a teacher is present
- From the main computer on the desk:
- How do you find a book for a student when she can only give you the title of the book with no reference number?
- How do you process a book for a student without their library card?
- how do you find a list of books that a student has borrowed?
- How many books can junior students borrow?
- How many books can senior students borrow?
- What does one beep on the computer mean?
- What does two beeps on the computer mean?
- How do you process a book if the barcode reader won't read the barcode correctly?
- What is the procedure when a student wants a book and hasn't got any money with which to pay a fine?
- How do you know what date to change the date stamp to every day?
- How do you process a book for a student when she is new and is not yet listed on the computer?
- Are you prepared to work together with the other library monitors and follow the roster unless the teacher/librarian authorises otherwise?
Signed: __________________ (student) ___________________ (teacher/librarian)
In order to impress upon the volunteers their formal incorporation into the library team, we created a semi-formal document 'Library monitors' charter' that was quite specific in setting out the "do's" and "don'ts":
Library monitors' charter
Preamble
The library provides the central information and literature service for the school where all students are offered equal opportunities to seek and grow on their own terms. It is also a major resource support centre for teachers. The library monitors assist the teacher/librarian in service delivery, provide feedback on services and represent their peers through advising the teacher/librarian on the aspirations and needs of the students.
Circulation services
- A roster is established to evenly distribute the workload. The monitors on duty will tick the roster sheet on the Library door to leave a record of their presence.
- The OASIS A1 Menu for processing overdues will be the responsibility of one person per month, to be selected from the monitors.
- The Monitor rostered to process at the desk will perform the following tasks in order:
- borrow out items;
- return items deposited in the returns box;
- place returned items in the appropriate fiction and non-fiction trolley areas.
- The A1 authorised monitor will process the "Fines to be paid/Fines being paid" sheet regularly. When fines are being recorded on the A1 menu, the barcode of one book, which caused the infringement, will be entered in the messages line for the benefit of students querying their overdues. Amounts over $2.00 will be recorded in the "Comments" line and borrowing privileges will be reduced to "0".
- When monitors are in the library with their class they are not to perform duties.
Photocopying
- The responsibility of retrieving change from the photocopier will be invested in one person per month. Any other monitor must get the teacher/librarian or library assistant's permission.
- When a student wishes to make a colour photocopy, the teacher/librarian or library assistant will be consulted.
Observation
- Monitors will observe the students using the library and report to the teacher/librarian or library assistant cases of eating, chewing gum, drinking and careless and untidy behaviour. Anyone loitering near the photocopier machine is suspect and Monitors should watch for suspicious behaviour regarding the practice of thieving.
Shelving and shelf checking
- Particular attention will be paid to shelf order. When shelving, the surrounding books will be checked for order. When sections of shelves are in obvious disarray, they will be restored.
- Monitors will be scheduled for shelf checking specific areas of the collection.
- The fiction sections will be shelved first.
Acquisitions
- 5.1 Monitors will be responsive to the information and literature needs of the students. They will liaise with the teacher/librarian.
Book Club
- When Book Club pamphlets arrive, Monitors will separate the bundles and put a limited number out on the stands.
- Monitors will receive monies due for Book Club purchasing and carefully count the columns and ensure the correct amount is being paid.
Monitor rights
- Monitors will have access to the Library Administration Room for the purpose of storing bags and eating. No more than five Monitors may use the room at any one time.
- Monitors will be eligible to receive a reference upon request depending on quality of service.
- Monitors will receive the full support of the teacher/librarian in the broad education fields.
Appendix 1.
The recruitment of Monitors will be based on application and interview by the teacher/librarian.
Applications will be renewed annually.
A monitor must be rostered a minimum of three times per week.
The absence of a monitor from three scheduled roster periods in a row will jeopardise their position.
Appendix 2.
New monitors will be trained according to the BGHS Library Monitors' Learning Schedule to establish the skills necessary for the job. The modules will cover all of the above aspects of library service and conclude with the Library Quiz.
On reflection
When we began developing the Student Library Monitor Scheme, the intention had been simply to get an effective system working. This prototype was to have become the definitive system for training future monitors but as time progressed, it was realised that it should be used more as a template for constant modifications to the system.
Professional literature supports the concept of an adaptable rather than a rigid training scheme. "The training environment: Training is concerned with change and it is only in an organisation that shows itself able to consider new ideas and to adapt to change that a comprehensive training programme will be successful. The training officer should work consciously to create a kind of 'learning climate' within the organisation. This means that the library system will be more able to adjust to changes caused by outside pressures ... And that the staff will be willing to try new ideas and to consider suggestions for change coming from all levels within and outside the organisation."
We found that there was a constant variation in the calibre of students as we have progressed through this cycle, thus necessitating ongoing changes to the Student Library Monitor Scheme. We also found that some students needed more supervision than others, especially students from the lower academic stream, while there were also some who came to us with special personal needs. We were sometimes not aware of these circumstances, in which case these students were treated the same as the others since they did not come into the monitor community burdened with preconceived expectations about their skill levels.
How to win with volunteers
Our scheme is not a Mickey-Mouse production. Our school community, from principal to newly-arrived Year 7 students acknowledge and respect our volunteers. The monitors themselves are proud to understand their work experience. They apply for the job, are tested and evaluated, and usually receive glowing references and, most importantly, they learn to grow into and belong to a team.
Let me finish with a quote, 'The success of a volunteer program depends on an invisible but tangible spirit of co-operation and value in human beings working together for the good of the library program. Motivated volunteers have a vested interest in their workplace and a sense of accomplishment. Moreover, they will feel a sense of ownership, pride, and most importantly, job satisfaction.' (McHenry 1988).
I ask if you too might have a 'Grace Space' for volunteers in your library?
Conclusion
My work reflects an ongoing journey. the key part of my conclusions are that training schemes, whether for volunteers or professionals, must be constantly evolving and adapting. we who travel on our information odysseys are all the richer for knowing that it is not the destination but the journey that counts. i think my paper can be seen in that context.
Author
The author has been working in libraries for three years. Prior to this she had a wide range of clerical and administrative duties and has also been a volunteer many times. She is currently a library assistant at Birrong Girls' High School, Sydney, NSW.
Bibliography
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