Library Celebrates National Volunteer Week

Along with libraries and organizations across the country, Sedona Public Library is celebrating National Volunteer Week, April 7–13.  It’s fitting that this week is also National Library Week, an opportunity for libraries of all types to raise awareness of their value and impact in the communities they serve.
 
The friendships made by volunteering are priceless and the benefits that volunteers bring to our Library are enormous.  We are truly grateful for the nearly 17,000 hours of volunteer service given by 146 volunteers last year.  We will honor them and thank them for their contributions at an Appreciation Brunch on Sunday, April 14.
 
Volunteers will be recognized for their milestone years of service.  Contributing Five Years:  Dale Albright, Lorraine Anderson, Jan Bareuther, Pat DiMillo, Joyce Kelly, Bob Little, Donne Ruhe, Sharon Skeer, and Sharrie Wadsack; Ten Years:  Penny Beers, Pat Jansen, and Jo Kontzer; Fifteen Years:  Sandy Leavitt and Bonnie Martin; Twenty-five years:  Carol Stetser; Thirty years: Gerri Perrin.
 
Sedona is blessed with a wealth of people willing to devote their time and energy to help make the community a vibrant place to live.  As an institution created and sustained by volunteers, Sedona Public Library is well aware of their value.  Our volunteers work both behind the scenes and in the public eye and as members of the board of trustees, and we couldn’t do it without them. They help us fulfill this year’s National Library Week theme:  “Libraries = Strong Communities.”
 
Most volunteers work one shift per week, but many work more.  Some volunteers work for more than one department.  Other volunteers prefer to be on-call only and substitute for volunteers who are away.  Most shifts at the main library in West Sedona are 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 1:30 to 5 or 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday.  Evening shifts are Wednesdays from 5 to 8 p.m.  At our location in the Village of Oak Creek, volunteers work Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
 
Other volunteers work in the Friends of the Sedona Library Used Book Store, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.  The store has been open for almost two years now, and customers are raving about the friendly and helpful service that the volunteers provide.
 
If you would like to work with others who share a passion for our Library, please call Volunteer Coordinator Marisol Molina at 928-282-7714, ext. 143, or fill out an application online.  After you fill out an application, we will call you for an interview and in-depth library tour.
 
Join the millions of people who find fulfillment in working with and helping others in their communities. Become a volunteer today!
 
Sedona Public Library is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We are grateful for all of our volunteers, and for the support we receive from the City of Sedona, the property tax dollars we receive from Yavapai and Coconino Counties, and the gifts we receive from businesses, foundations, and individuals like you. Please support your library at www.sedonalibrary.org.

​ ​Sedona Public Library
Column for April 12, 2019
Written by Virginia Volkman, Library Director