I’ve been a volunteer in the library and archives
environment in one way or another for over a year now, in a bid to gain
experience. Have to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as a volunteer
and have been immeasurably lucky in the positions I have had, especially my
current one. I’ve have gained a plethora
of new skills and learned such a vast amount and am especially fortunate as my
mentor goes out of his way to give me tasks that he knows I will benefit from and I am eternally grateful for all the
opportunities I have been given. Indeed everyone I have encountered during my
spell as a volunteer has been generous with their time and words of wisdom. I
have been given such a variety of tasks from handling rare books, indexing a collection of journals and creating
finds lists to surveying some of the Town Library’s photographic collections,
whilst in the public library I have done all sorts including shelving and all
aspects of circulation and generally getting to meet and help members of the
public. I really have been given a true insight into how hard librarians work
and the multifaceted nature of the role. I have also had lots of opportunities
for networking and as a direct result of volunteering I have been given the
chance to meet and work with bookbinders and cataloguers, as well as generally
meeting the people who use and appreciate the resources that the library
provides.
My experiences have been nothing but positive (I
wholeheartedly wish this could be the same for everyone). Everything I have
done has been beneficial and a learning opportunity which I have always
endeavoured to make the most of. My C.V.
has been given a huge boost and I have gained in confidence and I am armed with
lots of useful skills which hopefully I will one day get the chance to carry
forward into a professional position. I
hope that overall there has been a reciprocal benefit- that not only have I
learnt but that I have in turn given something back and helped in some small
way. I don’t believe in any way that the work I do as a volunteer is a
substitute for professional librarianship, so I don’t feel that what I do
devalues the profession. In fact it is because I value it so highly that I am
here in the first place!
