Sign up at any one of these sites to volunteer for the Friends of the Chattanooga Public Library:
- www.ihelpchattanooga.org
- http://vols.pt/4vcPui
- justserve.org
So how can you help?
We receive various shipments of books from local branches. The books we receive are being donated to the Friends to make shelf space for other collections. There are often diamonds in the rough, just waiting to be found. The same holds true when we receive private donations from community collections. We are willing to train you to identify those books to be pulled for our special collection pricing. It's a fairly simple process and who doesn't enjoy a treasure hunt now and then??
For those who want to delve deeper into the mystery of the book; we also offer training to research and actually price the books pulled for the special collections. Basic computer skills are needed, and otherwise you just need to be detail oriented and curious!
Of course with any good treasure hunt, there is much preparation. This involves our sorting area. Books not pulled for special collections are sorted and shelved by topic to be boxed for upcoming sales.
Don't be misled, it's not just books we see! There are phonograph records, old maps, posters, art, video and music, photographs and many other exciting treasures.
No day at our office is EVER the same as the day before. It is a very exciting and fun place to be!
Once our collections are sorted, priced and packed...it's show time. Time to display the treasures we have found and that others are looking for in our collection!
Show time is the book sale! We need volunteers to work in shifts to help set up interesting and creative displays for our book sale. We need volunteers who will help keep the tables stocked during the sale and process sale purchases (a very simple task on our tablets). The main question asked at a book sale is...where would I find (fill in the blank) section? When the sale is over, we need help with breaking down the sale and repacking our books.
In between book sales in Chattanooga, we are constantly preparing and always busy. If administration, planning, researching or organizing is your thing....come on down! There is plenty of need in those areas as well!
Another source of revenue for the Friends is the online sale of our special collections through Amazon and Alibris. We need help responding to inquiries about our collection and processing orders (pull, ship and record on the website). There are so many fantastic opportunities. There is certainly something at the Friends office, that will make your volunteer time feel like you have stepped into the biggest museum and transcended time.
Your magic carpet ride awaits you, please give us a call or send me an email and we will get you set up for training in the area that interests you most.
We offer training every Friday from 1:00-4:00PM and on the first Saturday of each month from 1:00-4:00PM at the Downtown library. There are additional opportunities to meet with a trained mentor and 'learn the ropes' if those times don't suit your schedule.
Please come join us for a fascinating opportunity!
Friends of the Chattanooga Public Library
1001 Broad Street
Chattanooga, TN 37402
contact: folibchatt@gmail.com
Phone: (423)643-7747
office hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday
from 9:30 am to 2:30 pm (office closed on holidays)