In February 1972, the Prince George's County Memorial Library System (PGCMLS) received a federal grant from the Library Services and Construction Act, Title I funds, to initiate a volunteer program for one year. As stated in the original proposal, the objectives of the project were to extend library services beyond the capabilities of the library staff and develop better public relations and support in the community. In July 1973, the Library System took over the responsibility for funding and maintaining the volunteer project within its own budget. Valuable contributions are made by volunteers to the Library's mission of promoting and making available resources that fill the lifelong learning needs of the citizens and residents of Prince George's County.

PGCMLS does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry or national origin, sex, religion, age, marital status, disability or perceived disability, occupation, political opinion, personal appearance, sexual orientation, or any other prohibited basis in employment or the provision of services.

To find out more about the availability of any volunteer opportunities, contact the branch at which you would like to volunteer. Applications for temporary and regular volunteer service are available at the branches.

Age Requirement

The minimum age requirement for volunteers at PGCMLS is 14.

Categories of Volunteers

There are two categories of volunteers at PGCMLS - temporary and regular. Temporary volunteers are those who have an assignment on a limited or intermittent basis, such as service learning and court referred. Regular volunteers are enrolled for a specific, continuing schedule for a period of at least six months.

Schedules

The number of hours volunteers work depends upon their assignments but most regular volunteers work an average of 2 - 6 hours per week, with a maximum of 10 hours per week allowed. Regular volunteers are scheduled to work a minimum of 3 hours per month. Temporary volunteers may work more than 10 hours per week, although only for a short period of time.

Policies

Each volunteer is assigned to a Volunteer Advisor who provides training and support and serves as a link between the volunteer and the rest of the staff. Volunteers are expected to be familiar with and follow the policies and procedures of the Library to ensure a positive experience.

Volunteer Assignments

Typically, temporary volunteers either shelve library materials, serve on Teen Advisory Boards, do routine clerical work or perform general janitorial duties (court referred). Because of the large number of individuals requesting to perform their assignments in the Library System, most of our branches have a waiting list for temporary volunteers.

Below are examples of regular volunteer assignments.

• Bookstore Aide - Opens and closes the bookstore; collects and accounts for money, including sales tax, on items sold; monitors, orders, processes, classifies and stocks items to be sold; identifies items to be reduced in price or discarded.
• Circulation Aide - Sorts and shelves Library materials; straightens shelves; repairs materials; puts labels on books.
• Computer Aide - Assists novice users in performing basic commands; performs basic troubleshooting. Aides with extensive computer experience may offer one-on-one tutoring or conduct workshops for small groups on computer basics, word processing, spreadsheets and other software available on Library computers.
• Facility Aide - Assists with various facility duties such as straightening up areas after use; dusting; picking up and disposing of debris inside or outside the facility.
• Library Aide - Assists with general library or office work, types, files; uses computer terminal for routine tasks such as checking in materials.
• Program Aide - Assists with story times, puppet theaters and other programs.
• Visitor - Visits and delivers materials to homebound customers, nursing homes and senior citizen residence centers; assists with special programs and in the selection of materials; maintains files on customers served