Volunteer Program Philosophy: Warwick Public Library seeks to empower volunteers to use their talents in a way that brings them personal satisfaction and contributes towards providing the best library services in our community. Staff and volunteers collaborate as a team to implement the mission of the library. Together, our work promotes learning, personal discovery, and the free flow of information and ideas.
Volunteer Requirements and Responsibilities
- The preferred minimum age for volunteers is 12 years old. Some volunteer opportunities may be limited to adults (18 and older)
- All volunteers have choices and should feel comfortable turning down a task or job
- Volunteers will carry out the specific job description for which he or she was hired or let the supervisor know if the assignment does not meet your expectations
- Volunteers must be reliable and punctual
- A volunteer must be accountable for his or her work and open to feeback
- Volunteers are expected to notify a supervisor as early as possible if he or she will be late or is unable to fulfill a shift
- More than three unexcused absences will be cause for dismissal
Volunteer Recruitment Process
Volunteer opportunities will be posted on the Library website. There may be short-term and on-going volunteer opportunities available. An application for a specific opportunity is required in order to be considered for a volunteer position. Once applications have been received, interviews will be held to find the best fit. We may not respond to all applications. If there are no volunteer opportunites available in the Library, we will place the application on file for up to one year. We encourage patrons to look at the other organizations listed. There are many places in Warwick that will welcome your generosity.
Court Assigned Community Service
Court assigned community service requests will be assigned on a first come first serve basis. The Library will only accept volunteers with non-violent infractions and minor traffic violations such as speeding or excess parking tickets, truancy, DUI or DWI. The Library reserves the right to reject an individual application based on the nature of the offence. Please read over the Court Assigned Community Service job description for details about the tasks and schedule.
Student Interns and Community Service Assignments
Student internships and community service can be sought in the Adult, Teen, and Children's Departments. The student and assigned supervisor will work together to create a job description. The job description must address the value of the project for both student and Library.
The Librarian who prepares an indivitual project will be responsible for the training, supervision, and evaluation of the student. Interns can be very valuable to the Library, but the Library must also offer a genuine educational opportunity for the student. Because much staff time will be required, the student and the assigned supervisor will carefully plan and schedule the internship to fit the needs of both the student and the Library. The plan must receive the approval of the Volunteer Coordinator before the intern is accepted. Participation in student internship programs should be considered a privilege, which may be revoked at any time.