ISSN 1039-3498 | no. 63 | June 2003
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National Library Values Its Volunteers Support from a growing band of enthusiastic volunteers has proven to be a most beneficial arrangement for the National Library. The volunteers are achieving satisfaction from giving their time and expertise, while staff are valuing the contribution made by the volunteers.
The Library’s Volunteer Program was initiated five years ago and at present there are 70 persons registered. Last year they collectively donated 4000 hours of work. Volunteers give an average of three hours of their time per week; some contribute up to 15 hours per week, or three hours a day. Volunteers fall into three categories: the volunteer guides in the Exhibition Gallery; the ‘behind-the-scenes’ volunteers helping in such areas as the Pictures, Manuscripts and Ephemera Collections, and in Imaging Services and Technical Services; and the volunteer Friends who assist with Friends mail-outs. The Library’s Volunteers Coordinator, Helen Tsogas, says that volunteers come from diverse educational backgrounds and life experiences. ‘They all have a special relationship with the Library, love learning new skills, and enjoy what they do.’
Behind-the-scenes volunteers in Australian Legal Deposit for example, have helped with the categorisation of theatre programs for Joan Sutherland’s performances, and developed a list of motor car types. In Imaging Services, volunteer Bob Pillifeant has demonstrated his ability to adjust to new technologies, and is assisting with the digitising of maps. ‘Although it has been a vast learning curve for me, I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to learn the skills of photo manipulation, which complements my personal interest in photography.’ He has also enjoyed the camaraderie within the Library’s photographic team. According to Julie Whiting, Manager of the Library’s Serials Section, ‘Having a volunteer to support the team has been a wonderful experience.’ One volunteer provided images for the Australian Public Affairs Full Text Database. Another is reformatting the serial discard list to allow for migration of the information to the Integrated Library Management System, and adding URLs to the catalogue records for some serials which are also available online.
In the Manuscript Collection, two volunteers have spent several hours per week on non-mainstream tasks associated with the Wills Diary Project. Their valuable contribution ensured that the transcripts were accurate and updated before this important historical information was transferred to the Library’s website. Some of the Library’s most important ambassadors are the volunteer guides, who can be found in the ground-floor Exhibition Gallery from 10 am to 4 pm each day. They welcome visitors to the Gallery and conduct tours of exhibitions, answering a wide range of questions. ‘For anyone with a thirst for finding things out, and helping others realise what the Library has to offer, being a volunteer guide is a source of much personal fulfilment,’ says Mary Dickenson, one of the Library’s longest-serving volunteer guides. The Volunteer Program is vital to the day-to-day running of the Library,
and it is hoped that the program can be extended further in the future. |
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