tart­ing in Sep­tem­ber, DC Pub­lic Library (DCPL) is bring­ing new vol­un­teers together for train­ing and ori­en­ta­tion in groups every three months. Each sea­sonal “ c o h o r t ” will receive library skills train­ing, have the chance to meet each other and social­ize, and receive their own ID badge. DCPL is cur­rently tak­ing appli­ca­tions. There is some good clar­i­fi­ca­tion recently received on what vol­un­teers can do, and what the most urgent needs are through­out the 25 libraries. Typ­i­cal vol­un­teer roles are out­lined on www.dclibrary.org/volunteer.

Vol­un­teers bring fresh skills, energy, a patron-centered per­spec­tive, and, like the Friends, a per­sonal com­mit­ment to see­ing libraries thrive. By def­i­n­i­tion, vol­un­teers often have other com­mit­ments that limit the time of even the most reli­able helpers. Most ongo­ing vol­un­teer roles are designed for 2–3 hours per week for a min­i­mum of three months.

They wel­come feed­back on other ways Friends groups might like to donate time or skills, or ways vol­un­teers can sup­port Friends’ projects.

Con­tact: Car­rie Wolf­son, Vol­un­teer Pro­gram Coor­di­na­tor DC Pub­lic Library, 202–741-5803