In past years, no shortage of activities filled the calendar at the Longmont Public Library. But in the time of coronavirus, creative solutions are required for the local students who plan on earning Advance Placement or International Baccalaureate credits by volunteering there this fall.
Students in grades six through 12 are eligible to participate in the Teen Library Committee from Sept. 28 until Dec. 18. All prospective volunteers must complete and submit an application by 5 p.m. Sept. 18 to be considered. Volunteers will be expected to attend online meetings once a month. The entire program will be conducted virtually.
“In past years, our teen volunteer program was entirely in person and offered teens a meaningful way to give back to their community while also earning service hours,” David Kling children’s and teens services at the library said via email. “Usually, teens would help us shelve materials or help with our summer programs for younger children. We are still offering a meaningful, and hopefully fun, opportunity for Longmont teens to make a difference.”
Students will have the opportunity to brainstorm with their peers about how to improve the library, specifically for their age group. The library also has suggested the youths work on planning programs, designing displays or book reviews. Solo projects are definitely encouraged.
“Currently we have 15 teens already registered for our fall 2020 session, which is similar to our pre-COVID numbers, so I'm hopeful that our teens are going to do a good job self-motivating,” Kling said. “Teen enjoyment is central to this program. However, this school year is going to be a tough one, socially, for many teens. My aim is to create a comfortable space for teens to meet and make friends through bonding over shared goals. We're offering teens a chance to make the library their own in whatever way they see fit. My role as the volunteer coordinator is purely to act as a sounding board and aid them in bringing their ideas for the library to life.”
For more information on the volunteer program click here or contact Kling at [email protected] or 303-651-8781.
The library is open limited hours, which recently expanded to include Wednesday evenings, but patrons are encouraged to use the online database for curbside checkout.
“The library leadership has done a great job of opening the library for service to the public while keeping staff and public safety at the forefront.” Kling said. “We are still limited to how many staff we have in the building at one time in accordance with Boulder County Public Health guidelines, but even when we aren't in the building, we are working hard to creatively serve the public in new ways while also providing access to our physical library collection. For our part, we're just happy to be able to serve patrons face-to-face again.”
