Double Dipping Is Allowed

Librarians, like everyone still working, have been pulled thin. We struggle to get our jobs done, and help keep the library thriving. As Tony Zanders mentioned in his keynote address at the 2021 Metrolina Library Association conference, it is not enough to just be a cataloger or branch manager of a library anymore. We all have to take ownership of the library and it's wellbeing. But is there an untapped resource we are missing? I think so! 

Patrons of public libraries have various values but at their core they have several in common. A strong sense of community has to be one of them otherwise they would be getting their library resources elsewhere. Why not harness this for the good of the library? And I am not talking about getting volunteers to help with library tasks. While what would be helpful, I think that is a bit overdone. No, I am talking about getting library patrons to volunteer in the community on behalf of the public libraries. 

What is to keep a children's librarian to get a group of regulars from storytime together and volunteer with a local early literacy program? Have the adult service librarian coordinate an "Adopt A Highway" and get library patrons to help with the clean up. Who loses? Libraries gain positive patron interactions, plus some social capitol. Patrons get an volunteer outlet with the community AND the library (Unlike on a first date at a Mexican restaurant, double dipping is encouraged in the community engagement world) Community orgs get the volunteer help they need and a positive partnership with the library which will pay off in the future.

I know there is a natural hesitation. After all the library is essentially asking Librarians to work for something other than the library, adding more to their already crowded plates, and most importantly we are putting the library in the middle and on the hook to provide volunteers for another group INSTEAD of the library. Lots can go wrong in this equation. Getting volunteers is tricky, it takes time (and time away from core library tasks) and if it fails, everyone is left holding part of the blame. It could damage the library's reputation in the community and make similar ventures harder in the future. 

In the end, I think this social capitol building exercise has more to accomplish than loose. The library forks over some money for a t-shirt with the library's logo on the front and VOLUNTEER on the back, expends some work time on gathering volunteers for another organization, and the time of a librarian to actually join the volunteer efforts, but these are chump change in the scheme of things. Getting volunteers to volunteer in the name of the library can only help all involved. A situation where everyone comes out with what they need can be a challenge, but when it works, it's worth it.