Thing 22 - A View on Volunteering

I can say that have volunteered to gain experience and that my volunteer experience was positive and worthwhile. This was part of my City and Guilds Library Assistant course and was a ‘work placement’ recommended by my tutor.

The Highgate Literary and Scientific Institute Library was a journey back in time: the library housed a rare archive and used a card catalogue and the Browne Issue System. I assisted the librarian with updating the online catalogue and reclassifying part of the collection. This was my introduction to the ‘craft’ of librarianship. Cataloguing and classification schemes may change but they will probably always be our ‘tools’.

Furthermore, by working closely with a solo librarian, I was able to appreciate the freedoms and restrictions of this way of working.

I'm sure that many new graduates are caught in Bronagh McCrudden's experience Catch22. This is certainly the case with me. With a reduction in the number of senior librarian jobs, I will need to think more creatively about career progression. My passion is for promoting lifelong learning and I am proactively pursuing opportunities to get involved in lifelong learning projects and events.

I’ve reflected on whether we are devaluing the profession by encouraging volunteering. I certainly feel this has become a controversial topic, particularly in the public library sector.
The key concerns are:

•  Will volunteers be introduced as a cost-cutting measure?
•  How will volunteers be managed and monitored?
•  What roles will volunteers fulfill and how might this impact on the job roles of paid staff?

On the other hand, it could be argued that volunteering was vital for many LIS professionals to get a ‘foot in the door’ and progress in their careers. Volunteering gave them the opportunity to implement knowledge and gain further skills. Moreover, the current economic climate requires that we look at this issue in a different way. If we consider that volunteering is useful for gaining work experience and skills, our libraries will be demonstrating value by providing these opportunities for job seekers. However, this means being aware of all the potential issues/problems and ensuring that the whole process is carefully managed.