Who is eligible to be a teen volunteer at the library?

Teen volunteers must be high school students ages 14-18. If you are seeking IHS community service hours, please note that you must have already started high school to earn community service.

Why be a teen volunteer?

Volunteering at the library is fun! Beyond that, volunteering allows teens to learn new skills, gain work experience, and contribute to a beloved community resource.

What do teen volunteers do?

The bulk of volunteer work is shelf management in the Teen Nook, aka shelving books, looking for missing books, and shelf-reading.

Other tasks may include: preparing craft materials, helping out with events, creating book displays, cleaning/organizing, de-processing discarded books, or other special projects. All volunteer work is done under the supervision of the YA Librarian.

Everyone has a talent to bring to the library! Please reach out if you are:

• An avid reader who loves recommending YA books and graphic novels
• An artist who could teach other teens your craft, such as crochet
• Someone who is passionate about your hobbies or interests in general!

What is scheduling like?

Volunteer shifts are typically 1-2 hours long and take place on weekday afternoons until 5pm.

Teen volunteers are expected to adhere to a mostly regular schedule, usually one shift per week (of course this is flexible!). Your schedule will be arranged with the YA Librarian when you are taken on as a volunteer.

How do I become a volunteer?

Contact YA Librarian Viktoria Paget at vpaget@ipswichlibrary.org to inquire about current volunteer opportunities.

If there are opportunities available, you will fill out an application form and schedule a brief orientation with the YA Librarian to discuss your interests and learn volunteer basics.

There are limited volunteer spots available at any given time, depending on need. Sometimes you may be placed on a wait list. If you need to earn community service hours, please reach out well in advance of your deadline.

A note for parents: While parents are welcome to inquire about volunteer opportunities and are required to sign their teen’s application form, teens should be the ones applying and actually interested in volunteering. The YA Librarian also supervises and corresponds with teen volunteers directly. This helps teens build independence and communication skills for future jobs, college, and beyond!