Hey y’all!

I’m Anne Robert, a children’s librarian who works with the Jacksonville (FL) Library. I am a native Louisianaian; I lived in Baton Rouge (about 90 miles north of N’awlins) for 22 years. It’s great to be back in New Orleans – except for the humidity (one thing I don’t miss!).

I arrived here yesterday and acted like a tourist, taking pictures and absorbing culture. It’s nice to have time during a conference to look around before actually beginning the conference aspect.

Today I went to two sessions: That’s Tight! Teen Volunteer Success Stories and Tapping Resources: Serving Children Through Partnerships.

A brief summary of each:

That’s Tight!

• Teenagers should be treated with respect, just like the adult volunteers
• Three key words: Ideas, Investment, Reward
• Ideas: Create tasks for the teenagers before they volunteer at the library (so you won’t be flabbergasted when they show up)
• More Ideas: Have teenagers do more than just shelving, such as reading to the children, helping with projects, assist with collection development of popular items (CDs, DVDs, graphic novels), help with computers/databases, summer reading club helper, monitor programs
• Investment: Train them properly with verbal (words) and physical (paper) training; give customer service tips (as you would your staff)
• Reward: Always thank them for their help and hard work! Consider writing them a nice letter at the end of their volunteer term (could be used as a referral for college)

I have about 17 teen volunteers in my children’s department this summer, so this session helped me with new ideas on how to fully use them as great resources this summer.

Tapping Resources

• Develop community partnerships with groups outside your library, such as businesses, non-profits, and/or government agencies
• Partnership is a two-way street and each group should get something back
• Partnerships were compared to human relationships: they can be short-term (like a glance or date) or more long-term (like an engagement or marriage)
• Access your library’s strengths before beginning the process and use partnership as a strategic tool

Welcome to New Orleans! And as we say here, Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler!