Volunteers

Volunteers are the life blood of the Hastings Public Library. In 2009, our 75 volunteers enthusiastically served 5,366 hours!

Some volunteers participate in the specialized reading programs for children. We have volunteers that assist people with genealogy questions. The Library’s Board of Directors volunteer their time to develop and oversee the annual budget, to set policy and make strategic plans, plan fund raising and approve spending. There is also a Teen advisory board consisting of teenagers who plan activities and help select library materials for teens.

The Library is deeply grateful to all of the community members who volunteer to make high quality library service available to our patrons.

Volunteer application

Phill

 

Phill volunteers because it’s fun. He’s helped the library for over a decade, selling duck race tickets and helping in whatever promotion is going on. He also likes singing, song-writing, walking and running.

Sharri

 

Sharri is giving back to the community through the library services. She assists with the children’s outread programs “Reach out and Read” (ROAR) by regularly reading to children at the schools. She also helps with RIF (Reading is Fun) where she and Youth Librarian Peggy Hemerling distribute books to children for their very own. Sherri loves the new building, and is a history buff.

  

  

  

  

  

Doris

Doris is beginning her third year helping the library. “I love the library, the library concept and the good people who work and frequent it.” She serves in the Friends of the Library book store, assists monitoring the teen room and writes book reviews. Over the years, she’s seen the increase in attendance at library programs, and usage of its many services. “The library has become a local ‘hot spot.’” She likes writing, gardening and book clubs. 

Marcia

Marcia has been with us for five years.  She and her husband Ed have worked on keeping our audio books and movies repaired.  They are glad to serve, and it fits their schedule.  Marcia also enjoys reading, cooking, volunteering and hiking.  Over the years she’s seen us move to the new beautiful building, and is glad to see we’ve increased our public computers from seven to twenty-five. 

Ray

Ray has recently joined the library outreach, reading to Kindergarten children.  He also likes golf, scuba and grandchildren!  He says the new library is easier to use than ever before. 

Solvej

Solvej enjoys giving back to the community, and believes in having libraries for all ages.  For the past couple years, she has been getting returned books and DVDs back on the shelves, helps assemble the baby kits, and works the book sales among her many duties.  Her other hobbies are hiking, reading, and enjoying nature.  The improvements that stand out to her include the new library building, more computers and large print books, and a larger non-fiction collection. 

Megan

Teenager Megan has been assisting us four years now, helping with programs and activities.  She likes the growing teen book selection.  She also is an aspiring artist, drawing cartoon characters among other things. 

Margene

Margene has been volunteering for about seven years in our “Reach Out and Read” (ROAR) program, reading to children at Central School.  The beautiful new library building is the biggest improvement she’s seen.  She has other hobbies like walking, swimming, reading and travel. 

Tom

Tom came to us in 2007 helping to prepare the library to move to the new building.  Now he works in the processing department, where he receives the newly purchased items and prepares them for cataloging.  Tom feels that the new library is a great step, and sees there are lots more books for kids and teens.  “I think books are an important resource for people, and I just like to help out.”  He also likes listening to music, reading and writing in his spare time.

Denise

Denise began volunteering here in 2007.  She enjoys the inviting environment and the helpful employees.  She works in the Friends of the Hastings Public Library in-house bookstore, and enjoys visiting with customers about their favorite books and authors.  She also takes books to the Commission on Aging.  She enjoys reading, cross stitch and quilting.  She’s been impressed with how the library has grown to offer services and items for more diverse groups of people.

Mel

Mel was part of the strategic planning committee to raise the funds to build the building.  She feels that the library is a vital part of the community, and our resources are exceptional.  She finds it satisfying to help promote the use of  books, music, magazines, videos etc.   Her focus has often been linked to community interaction and fund raising.   She helped create the classic cars calendar, COA book distribution, and she’s been Vice-President of the Friends of the Hastings Public Library and now heads up the in-Library bookstore.  Her hobbies include hiking, writing, kayaking, photography, physical fitness, traveling, genealogy and many of the arts.  She’s thrilled with the new building not only for its scope of resources, but for the expansion of our ability to offer quality programming, and having a public community room for meetings.

Duane

Duane came to us late last year.  He likes helping his community, and spends his time assisting staff member Gene in maintaining the building.  He’s helped with most facets of this chore, including snow removal, cleaning and repairs.   He loves the outdoors, camping and travel.   The “strong, silent type,” Duane quietly goes about his work, making a difference for us and the community.

Charlotte making book covers

Charlotte worked for over twenty years as a Library Assistant, retiring in early 2008.  We persuaded her to come back and volunteer in April that year.  She’s in charge of covering the hardback books.  She chooses to do this to help keep costs down and enjoys remaining in touch with her former zany co-workers.  She also likes reading, travel, baking, and photographing travel and family events.  She’s seen a lot of changes in library services over the years, including getting items from other libraries, computerizing the circulation system, offering internet to patrons and the explosion of the “information highway.”  Although nostalgic about the old building the new is both more beautiful and user-friendly in its design.
Patty

  

Patty began volunteering in 1983, when we began to computerize the library.  She was the original data entry lady, creating records for each patron.  27 years later, she’s still here, now inputting books, because she loves the library.  She enjoys having enough room to work at the new building, where in the old she was sharing a desk and there was barely enough room to rotate her chair!  Patty also volunteers at the hospital, and enjoys crosswords puzzles, card games, reading, gardening and Scrabble. 

Sharon

Sharon began in 2008 and says, “I thoroughly enjoy all of the things the volunteers do.”  Her duties include shelving, shelf reading, cleaning books.  Her hobbies are reading and exercise.  

Col. Richard Hargrove d. 3-8-2010

We will miss Col. (retired) Dick Hargrove, who volunteered here, shelving books and assisting with the book sales, right up until a couple days ago.  He passed away March 8, 2010. 

Lois

  

Lois assists in secretarial duties including correspondence and patron recordkeeping.  She helps install the electronic tags in books, and has covered books as well.  “I like the atmosphere, I like the people I work with, and I like books!  As a newcomer to Hastings in 1999, volunteering helped introduce us to many people and fit in to the community.  I’ve developed many lasting friendships here.”  She likes reading, knitting, crochet, and collecting Precious Moments figurines and kachinas (native American dolls).  The new library is better because we offer 25 public computers (up from 6 at the old building), checkout is easier, there are cozy chairs and a fireplace.   

Judy

  

  

  

Judy officially began in Jan 2000 after retiring from the bank.  She continues to volunteer because “I like it here.  I love to see happy children.  I like to help people and I LOVE TO READ!”  In addition to helping coordinate and train other volunteers, Judy shelves books, keeps the books in order on the shelf, prepares story time crafts, sorts donated books for book sales, retrieves books to send to other libraries, and empties book drops, among even MORE duties.  Her hobbies include cooking, jigsaw puzzles, gardening, doting on two grandkids, eating, swimming and walking.  “Everything is better in the new building.  Especially wonderful is plenty of room for kids and teens and staff!” 


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