In October 2010 CILIP Council agreed the following policy statement on the use of volunteers in public libraries.
"CILIP acknowledges the contribution that volunteers make to libraries, enriching the services they provide and helping to sustain their viability.
In order to optimise the value of that contribution it should form part of a professionally managed public library service that has at its core sufficient paid staff to ensure the direction, development and quality of the service provided.
Volunteers are not 'free' and need proper management, training and development. In many cases a volunteers’ co-ordinator should be appointed to ensure appropriate management and recognition of the value of volunteers".
Volunteers can be involved in a variety of roles such as services to library users who are housebound, hospital services and storytelling. Before setting up a volunteer programme employers need to consider how volunteers might best fit in with the workplace particularly the benefits they might bring to staff and library users. The employer can then produce a policy on the nature of their involvement. If possible this should include:
- a statement making clear the difference between job supplementation and job substitution, eg. being offered a job in government or a local authority which was being done by a paid worker in the recent past is regarded as job substitution
- a statement making clear volunteers are welcome in libraries and have an important role to play in the community
- a statement on the nature of the relationship between volunteers and employers including the rights and responsibilities of each party
- a document clarifying the differing roles of paid employees and volunteers
- an explanation of how volunteers will be recruited, trained and managed
Helping volunteers
- volunteers should be asked to fill out a volunteering form which gives an expression of interest
- in order to understand a volunteer's motivation and to explain what will be expected of them, interviews should be held by a supervisor or volunteer co-ordinator
- role descriptions should be made available to volunteers
- references should be taken up before the volunteer starts work
- it is helpful to draw up a volunteer agreement setting out the employer's expectations as well as the volunteer's rights. Obviously you will have help from your HR department or lawyer to draw this up. It is useful to have some wording along the lines of "neither party to this agreement intends for any employment relationship to exist".
- as part of setting up a volunteer programme one member of staff could be identified as the volunteer co-ordinator who will guide and support when necessary. They in turn will need to be trained so that they are able to manage volunteers effectively
- volunteers should be encouraged to take up any training and development opportunities
Further help
CILIP, The Use of Volunteers in Public Libraries, 2010
Surrey Libraries, Volunteering toolkit - the gift of time, 2007
Southend-on-Sea Borough Council website, Volunteering with libraries
Adirondack, S., (2009) Voluntary Sector Legal Handbook, Directory of Social Change.
Buckley Owen, T., (2010) Volunteers are not a no-cost option, Library and Information Gazette. pp1-2
Members can also ring the Employment Law Helpline for advice.
CILIP Training run a courses on recruiting volunteers